By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 21: The North-Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the NEHU unit of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Friday urged all teaching staff of the university to refrain from participating in any meeting led by or comply with any direction or decision of Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla.
In a letter addressed to NEHUTA president Lakhon Kma, the two students’ bodies said any faculty member who chooses to proceed against this request and disregards their position will be regarded as acting in opposition to the interests of the students.
At the same time, the two organisations requested all to refrain from complying with any direction(s), order(s), meeting(s), decision(s), or instruction(s) issued by Prof Shukla and Registrar, Col. Omkar Singh.
“It is with regret that we must bring to the attention of the teaching community that these individuals have maliciously attempted to resume their duties while not being present in-station and have issued orders and duties from locations outside the jurisdiction of the University Acts and Statutes, which constitutes a violation of Section 6(1) of the NEHU Act, 1973,” they stated. The two organisations pointed out that Prof Shukla has been on continuous leave for 127 days and has failed to discharge his duties since November 15, 2024.
According to them, his claim to resume duties via an online mode from Delhi is arbitrary, unsubstantiated, and against the established rules and regulations of the university.
“It is essential to highlight that there is no provision in the university’s rules or regulations that allows the resumption of duties remotely. This unauthorised action of Prof. P. S. Shukla is unacceptable and must be condemned, as it sets a dangerous precedent for the future governance of the university. Such actions should neither be accepted nor encouraged,” they said.
Furthermore, the two organisations said Col. Singh failed to report back to the university since his leave commenced, and any action, direction, or order issued by him is being regarded as invalid and unacceptable to the students at large.
They reiterated their firm stance that neither Prof Shukla nor Col. Singh can be considered legitimate members of the NEHU community.
“The persona non grata status that has been assigned to them by various civil society organisations and the local community of our state continues to be endorsed by the students of the University, and we too consider them persona non grata,” the two organisations said.
They further said the faculty members are expected to endorse the status of the VC and the Registrar too.
“We trust you will consider our position seriously and act in the best interest of our institution,” they added.