The two-member enquiry committee set up by the Ministry of Education to probe into the alleged mismanagement and administrative failures within North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, today met the NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU), Khasi Students’ Union, teachers’ association, non teaching staff association and officials of the university.
The inquiry committee headed by former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Prof. D P Singh also consists of former Assam University vice chancellor Prof. Dilip Chandra Nath.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the committee members, NEHUSU president Sandy Sohtun said that they discussed issues with them for more than one hour and gave them their representation on what vice chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla has done in the last three years.
“We also gave them the memorandum which we had written since 2022-23. We also gave them documents to show that this vice chancellor had centralised the working of the university,” Sohtun said.
According to him, the students’ body sent a clear message to the two-member enquiry panel that no matter what the outcome of the report of the committee it would not allow Prof. Shukla to set foot in the university again.
He also said that the students’ body expects that the enquiry committee will take positive action against the vice chancellor
Meanwhile, NEHUTA president Prof. Lakhon Kma said that they had told the two-member panel of the wrongdoings of the vice chancellor since he took over the office which has led to the present situation in NEHU where all are demanding Prof. Shukla’s removal.
“The committee has been made exceptionally clear that irrespective of the outcome of the enquiry his returning to the university is untenable and unacceptable to us,” Prof. Kma said.
According to him, the association had presented before the committee the entire facts which highlight Prof. Shukla’s “complete incompetence, lack of interest in the affairs of NEHU and how he has taken the university down a drain from where coming out would be difficult”.
“We have said that everything that shows that this person doesn’t belong here. He has no attachment to NEHU, to Meghalaya, north-eastern region and hence he cannot be here come what may,” Prof. Kma added.
