By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 25: The NEHUSU on Monday unanimously resolved not to allow Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla to return to the university irrespective of the outcome of the report of the two-member committee instituted by the Ministry of Education.
Talking to reporters after the meeting with the committee consisting of former UGC Chairman DP Singh and former Vice Chancellor of Assam University Dilip Chandra Nath, NEHUSU president Sandy Sohtun said they have sent a clear message Prof Shukla would not be welcome back no matter what the panel’s verdict is.
He said they were happy with the positive outcome of the meeting with the committee members who heard their grievances patiently. “We hope the committee will give stringent recommendations against the VC according to the documents and representation we submitted,” he added.
Sohtun said the union made a detailed presentation to establish that Prof Shukla “overshadowed” his predecessors in committing “wrongs” during the past three years.
Copies of memoranda on various grievances given to the VC over this period were also submitted to the committee.
Replying to a query, he said the Executive Committee of the NEHUSU and the NEHU unit of KSU will meet to discuss the relaxation of the ongoing protest and the resumption of classes.
The NEHUSU president, however, said the suspension of the regular classes will continue as of now.
He also said they are continuing with their sit-in demonstration from 9 am to 5 pm outside the premises of the administrative building.
NEHUSU general secretary, Toniho S Kharsati said they have been able to provide documents to substantiate the accusations against the VC. He said they are happy to be able to present a very strong case on the wrongdoings of the VC.
“We are satisfied until we see the recommendations of the committee. We are firm about the removal of the Vice Chancellor,” he said.
Echoing a similar stand, NEHUTA president Lakhon Kma said the NEHUTA, NEHUSU, and NEHUNSA have declared the VC a persona non grata.
“Even the Mawlai Town Dorbar has decided to bar the entry of the VC inside the university campus, which falls under its jurisdiction,” Kma said.
He further said they told the probe panel that nothing – from recruitment to denying someone his or her right to become dean – has been going right in the university since Prof Shukla took charge.
Kma said both panel members are familiar with such issues. “So, we did not have to strike hard to make things clear to them. Now, it’s up to them how they assess the discussions with various university stakeholders,” he said.
He said the committee could prepare the report in whatever way it deemed fit, but “the fact remains that it is untenable for the arrogant, incompetent, and indifferent Prof Shukla to come back as the VC”.
On Monday, the probe panel members inspected the university’s infrastructure. Accompanied by the members of NEHUSU, they checked out the health centre, central library, hostels, roads, and other facilities.
The panel members neither inspected the VC’s ransacked official quarters nor responded to the reporters’ queries.