Association alleges Prabha Shankar Shukla of exhibiting ‘anti-tribal actions’
SHILLONG, Aug 30: The Meghalaya Tribal Teachers’ Association-NEHU (MeTTA-NEHU) filed a petition with the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on Friday, accusing North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla of exhibiting an anti-tribal and anti-local stance during his tenure.
In the petition submitted to NCST member Nirupama Chakma, MeTTA-NEHU general secretary JJ Thabah claimed that the VC has, within three years of his tenure, significantly reduced opportunities for Meghalaya’s tribal community to contribute to NEHU’s growth, thereby undermining the university’s foundational purpose. Thabah said the VC refused to recommend the appointment of Pro Vice-Chancellors from the local tribal community, despite discussions on the matter when Shukla first assumed office. The failure to fill these positions, previously held by senior local tribals, has, according to Thabah, weakened the university’s administrative structure.
He also accused Shukla of not conducting any interview under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for stages 5 to 6, thereby denying promotions to more than 15 tribal senior professors who have retired without getting their dues.
Additionally, Thabah pointed out that only 12% of the 87 new teachers appointed under Shukla’s tenure are from the local tribal community, raising concerns about biased recruitment practices.
“In the process, the VC also has bungled up in matters of direct recruitment too as evident from the court cases recently filed, which raised the question of procedural lapses and biasedness.
Thabah also accused the VC of nepotism in the recent appointment of three Deputy Registrars, as well as arbitrarily appointing a Professor as ‘Campus Director’ of the NEHU Tura campus without statutory provisions as per the NEHU Act, Statutes and Ordinances or UGC Regulation 2018.
“We have decided to write to you being a responsible member of the National Commission for Scheduled tribes (NCST) to initiate necessary steps against the VC’s refusal to appoint Pro-VCs, not conducting regular CAS interviews and his many other arbitrary appointments. Your immediate response and action on this matter would be highly appreciated,” he added.
