Six members of the executive council of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) have said that the decision of the council at its meeting held on November 11 for setting up of an enquiry committee to investigate the registrar and deputy registrar of the university is not acceptable.
In a letter to NEHU vice chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla today, the members who raised the objection included Prof. N. Saha (Dean, School of Life Sciences), Prof. Md. I Hussain (Dean, School of Technology), Prof. A K Chandra (Dean, School of Physical Sciences), Prof. D Walia (Dean, School of Human & Environment Sciences), Prof. N M Panda (Department of Commerce) and Dr. Aseem Sinha (Department of Department of Basic Sciences and Social Science).
“Students are on an indefinite hunger strike for the last eight days demanding the resignation of the vice chancellor as being highlighted in the media continuously. Moreover, the three statutory associations – NEHUSU, NEHUTA and NEHUNSA have submitted a joint letter demanding the vice chancellor’s resignation on November 11, 2024. It is equally important that NEHUTA had earlier demanded the resignation of the vice chancellor on July 12, 2024. Further, other stakeholders such as KSU NEHU Unit, MeTTA-NEHU and the public of Meghalaya at large have also demanded the resignation of the vice chancellor. In light of these, the draft minutes of the Executive Council (EC) meeting held on November 11, 2024 chaired by Prof. P S Shukla in online mode becomes superfluous. Moreover, the minutes of the meeting are yet to be signed and circulated,” the six executive council members said in the letter.
“It was also pointed out by the members that an inquiry on registrar and deputy registrar, as read out by the chairman from the memorandum, dated October 30, 2024 submitted by the students, should be conducted by a higher authority and not the vice chancellor, who was the chairman of the selection committee that selected them. Therefore, it is evident that the draft minutes circulated do not reflect the true nature of the discussion and therefore it is not acceptable,” they added.
The six executive council members also said that looking at the composition of the students, faculty members and staff, both in Shillong and Tura campuses and the incidence of vandalism in the vice chancellor’s residence, the executive council cannot be a mute spectator in the current serious situation.
“The issue must be addressed and resolved immediately in the larger interest of the students, especially those who are on hunger strike for more than a week, and the university fraternity at large. Therefore, we would like to request you to understand and take note of the gravity of the situation and take proactive actions to prevent further aggravation of the highly tense situation,” they said.
