By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 9: The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has urged members of the university’s Executive Council (EC) to boycott its 193rd meeting convened by Vice-Chancellor P.S. Shukla in New Delhi on November 14, calling it “illegitimate” and “unjustified”.
At the same time, the NEHUSU and the KSU NEHU Unit have jointly urged the Union Ministry of Education to issue instruction to hold the EC meeting in Shillong, under the chairmanship of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, for the sake of transparency, financial prudence, and institutional integrity.
In a joint letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday, the two student bodies strongly objected to the decision to convene the EC meeting in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the VC.
NEHUSU president, Menlamlynti Markhap, and KSU-NEHU president, Robin N. Nongrem, clarified that their objection is not against the convening of the EC meeting itself, but against the decision to hold it outside Shillong and under Prof. Shukla’s chairmanship — both of which, they said, violate institutional norms and earlier assurances given to the university community.
They also pointed out that the Ministry’s own directive dated August 20, 2024 mandates that meetings of statutory bodies, including the Executive Council and Finance Committee, “shall be conducted within the campus of the respective Central University.” Conducting the EC meeting in New Delhi, they said, would directly contravene this directive.
The unions also highlighted the severe financial strain currently faced by NEHU, with the non-salary budget having been reduced from Rs 53 crore to Rs 31 crore for FY 2025–26, resulting in 25% budget cuts to academic departments, 50% reductions to seminars, conferences, and academic programmes, curtailment of hostel and library maintenance, and suspension of guest faculty appointments.
“Despite these austerity measures, the administration proposes to spend on travel and accommodation for an EC meeting in Delhi. This is financially unjustifiable and morally inconsistent with the university’s austerity circulars,” they said.
NEHUTA president Lakhon Kma, in a letter addressed to all EC members, condemned the “uncalled-for interference” by Prof. Shukla, who has been absent from his official duties at NEHU’s Shillong headquarters for nearly a year.
Kma pointed out that Pro-Vice-Chancellor Sumarbin Umdor is currently in charge of the university’s functioning at the Shillong campus, making the Delhi meeting “unauthorised and unnecessary”.
The association recalled that during the Ministry of Education team’s visit to NEHU on May 22, an understanding was reached among ministry officials, EC members, the NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU), and NEHUTA that the EC meeting held on May 30 in Delhi would be the last to be chaired by Prof. Shukla.
He reminded that it was agreed that Prof Shukla would “gradually fade away” from the university’s administration, while the Pro-VCs of Shillong and Tura would exercise full powers, as per the NEHU Statutes.
Kma alleged that this understanding was omitted from the official minutes of the May 30 EC meeting “due to interference by Prof. Shukla”, and accused the VC of being “a blatant violator” of the NEHU Act, Statutes and Ordinances, UGC Regulations 2018, and other Government of India rules.
NEHUTA maintained that Prof. Shukla’s continued attempts to intervene in the university affairs despite his absence were “irresponsible and disruptive”.
The association also criticised the decision to hold the meeting in Delhi, arguing that it violates the Ministry of Education’s directive dated August 20, 2024, which requires all official meetings of central universities to be conducted within the university campus to ensure transparency and cost efficiency.
“Scheduling a meeting outside the university campus completely defeats the austerity measures adopted by NEHU,” the association said, highlighting that non-salary allocations have been slashed from Rs 51 crore last year to Rs 31 crore this year.
“While the university is struggling with a fund shortage that affects academic and infrastructural growth, unnecessary spending on travel and accommodation for an EC meeting in Delhi is wasteful and unjustified,” it added.
NEHUTA pointed out that under Statute 2(A)(5)(i) of the NEHU Act, the Pro-VC is fully empowered to perform the duties of the VC in the latter’s absence. The association noted that Prof. Shukla has been on earned leave since November 15, 2024, and has not physically resumed office even after his leave was extended till March 2, 2025.
“It is irresponsible for someone absent for almost a year to convene an EC meeting in Delhi while the university faces financial stress,” NEHUTA stated while questioning, “Who will bear the cost of travel and stay of the EC members in Delhi?”
In a separate letter to Prof. Umdor, NEHUTA reiterated its opposition to the proposed EC meeting in Delhi, again describing it as “wasteful” and “illegitimate”.
The association accused Prof. Shukla of “mismanagement, incompetence, nepotism, favouritism, and narcissistic behaviour,” which, it said, had led to widespread resentment among students, teachers, and non-teaching staff, ultimately resulting in him being declared persona non grata by the university community and the public.
NEHUTA noted that the Ministry of Education had intervened in May to restore normalcy after widespread protests against Prof. Shukla’s leadership. However, the association alleged that the VC is now attempting to “violate the agreement” and reassert control over the university affairs.
Condemning what it called “uncalled-for interference” by Prof. Shukla, NEHUTA appealed to the Pro-VC not to allow any meeting outside the Shillong campus.
“All austerity measures will become meaningless if limited university resources are wastefully spent on TA/DA for meetings in Delhi when we have a full-fledged campus in Shillong,” NEHUTA said, reaffirming its commitment to protecting the interests of teachers, students, and the university as a whole.
