By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 9: The North-Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the NEHU unit of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Wednesday urged Prof Sherwin Sungoh to resign from the post of Pro-Vice Chancellor of NEHU, Shillong Campus.
In a letter addressed to her, the two organisations claimed that her appointment to the post was not carried out in accordance with the procedures outlined in the NEHU Statutes and it was also declared null and void by the then Vice Chancellor in-charge in November 2024.
The letter further stated that the process followed in the appointment, “orchestrated” under the authority of Vice Chancellor Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla, stands as procedurally illegitimate and was not ratified by a quorum of the Executive Council, rendering it ultra vires.
“Furthermore, Prof Shukla, who issued the appointment letter, has been on extended leave since November 3, 2024, and has not resumed duty at the NEHU headquarters in Shillong till date. This continued absence—now exceeding 150 days—has undermined the legitimacy of any administrative decisions made during this period,” the NEHUSU and the KSU’s NEHU unit said.
They observed that the letter of appointment itself references Statute 3 of NEHU which mandates procedures that were not observed in either letter or spirit.
Meanwhile, the two student bodies said it is important to note that the Executive Council did not hold a valid meeting to discuss or approve the appointment of Pro-Vice Chancellors. Moreover, they said, Prof Omkar Singh, also on leave, issued directives without proper authorisation or procedural compliance.
They expressed concern that Prof Sungoh “aligned” herself with Prof Shukla whose actions have been widely opposed by all stakeholders, including Members of Parliament—Dr Ricky AJ Syngkon (Shillong) and Saleng A Sangma (Tura)—who raised this issue in the parliamentary.
Stating that the Ministry of Education is yet to release the findings of the Inquiry Committee on Prof Shukla’s conduct, the NEHUSU and the KSU’s NEHU unit said he remains unexonerated from serious allegations, including those reflecting anti-tribal and anti-Meghalaya sentiments.
“In addition, we wish to bring to your attention that the Ministry of Education’s guidelines explicitly prohibit the appointment of individuals to statutory positions within three months of their retirement,” the letter read.
Pointing out that Prof Sungoh is due to retire from service on May 31, 2025, the two student unions said her appointment as Pro-Vice Chancellor contravenes this directive. They said the same rule was enforced in January this year in a comparable case by the acting Vice Chancellor.
They requested Prof Sungoh to voluntarily resign or they will be compelled to consider appropriate action.