Sit-in to continue daily from 9 am to 5 pm till VC is removed
SHILLONG, Nov 20: The North-Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the NEHU unit of Khasi Students’ Union on Wednesday decided to temporarily suspend their indefinite hunger strike following requests from several quarters.
The decision came on the 16th day of the hunger strike and following their meeting with the members of the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) and Meghalaya Tribal Teachers’ Association (MeTTA-NEHU) in the presence of Vice Chancellor in-charge Prof Nirmalendu Saha.
Announcing the decision to the teachers, students, non-teaching staff and civil society members who had waited outside the premises of the administrative building of the university, NEHUSU president Sandy Sohtun said they made this decision after taking into consideration the requests made by teachers and staff.
He said although they decided to suspend their hunger strike, they will not leave the place and stage a sit-in demonstration from 9 am to 5 pm every day till Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla is removed.
“We will wait for the Union Ministry of Education to take action on the basis of the report submitted by the NEHU internal committee. If the ministry fails to fulfil our demand, then we may resume our hunger strike or take other measures,” Sohtun warned.
He added, “We will not remain silent but continue to raise our voice if the report of the two-member inquiry committee (constituted by the ministry) is not in our favour.”
He said the university’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in-charge Dr Carol Mukhim had also advised them not to continue with the hunger strike due to the deteriorating health condition of many protesting students.
Sohtun said it was not easy for him as the leader to see students participating in the hunger strike being shifted to hospitals or health centres.
Meanwhile, NEHUSU general secretary Toniho S Kharsati said the fight is not easy as they are taking on the incumbent VC who is adamant.
Stating that the VC never enquired about the health of the agitating students, Kharsati said he (VC) went “underground” and is trying to shy away from his responsibilities.
“We want to make it very clear that we don’t want Prof Shukla to enter the university again,” the student leader said.
He appealed to students to continue their support and work together to help rebuild NEHU’s image.
The indefinite hunger strike was formally suspended temporarily with the felicitation of the leaders of NEHUSU and KSU’s NEHU unit by the VC in-charge, senior professors, CMO in-charge and civil society members including NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa.