Teachers, staff and students of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) have said that the university should withhold the salary of Vice-Chancellor PS Shukla, Registrar and Deputy Registrar for continuous absence from duty.
The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association, North-Eastern Hill University Non-Teaching Staff Association and the North-Eastern Hill University Students’ Union have made a joint demand in a letter to acting Vice Chancellor Nirmalendu Saha.
“He (Shukla) has exhausted all that he earned in NEHU during his tenure before he absconded from the campus on the 15th of November 2025,” they said.
Shukla went on earned leave and had sought extension till March 2, 2025. “Till date he has not joined/reported to the NEHU Headquarter in Shillong after his leave was over. This amounts to continuous absence from duty for 130 days. He has exhausted all that he earned in NEHU during his tenure,” the associations said.
Seeking immediate disciplinary action against Shukla as per provisions of the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972 the association quoted Proviso to FR 17(1) that stipulates that an officer who is absent from duty without any authority shall not be entitled to any pay and allowances during the period of absence, as well as FR 17-A and Rule 25.
The association also demanded that similar actions under the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972 and CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965 should be taken against Registrar Omkar Singh and Deputy Registrar Amit Gupta. “Both of them have exhausted all the leave they earned in NEHU during their tenure of service,” they added.
The association said the acting VC must follow the NEHU Act, statutes, ordinances and regulations and withhold the salaries. “If their salaries are not withheld/stopped we will also take earned leave of two days and go to Delhi for some work and join from there virtually on some excuse of threat to our lives,” the association said.
“If you can relax the Government of India rules for the Vice Chancellor, Registrar and Deputy Registrar, the same has to be extended to all faculty members and non-teaching staff as well,” the association added.
The associations warned that if the rules are not followed there will be “anarchy” in NEHU, Shillong and Tura campuses.
Furthermore, they also urged the acting VC that no file movements including soft copies to the VC should take place and that no NEHU officials (Shillong and Tura campuses) should entertain Shukla’s unauthorised orders, but official correspondence must be routed through the office of the Registrar in-charge.
They also demanded that NEHU should not allow the misuse of the NEHU guest houses in Shillong, Tura and Guwahati by the VC and must be charged the normal rate. “NEHU’s limited fund should not be misused and all his travel expenses must be borne by him personally,” the association added.
