The NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) has made it clear that it would not call off its hunger strike till Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla resigns from the post of vice chancellor of NEHU.
“Our 20 members who are on hunger strike will continue their fast till Prof. Shukla steps down as vice chancellor,” NEHUSU president Sandy Sohtun said today.
He also said that NEHUSU would not accept the excuses given by Prof. Shukla during the press conference here today.
“We cannot accept his clarifications made during his press conference. He did not say anything on the demands that we made from time to time through our letters and memorandums to him. He has openly violated the rules and ordinances of NEHU pertaining to appointment of officers in the university,” Sohtun said.
“If Prof. Shukla does not step down we will intensify our agitation and close down the university. We will also request the teachers to stop taking classes,” he added.
Sohtun also said under Prof. Shukla as vice chancellor, the NEHU would continue to slide backwards much to the detriment of the academic standard of the university.
The NEHUSU president also thanked the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) for its strong support to the agitation of NEHU students. He also expressed his gratitude to all those who came forward to provide various assistance to the students who are on hunger strike.
Non-teaching staff exempt Exams Dept from strike
Non-teaching staff of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) who are currently on indefinite strike have decided to exempt the Examination Department from the current strike for the smooth conduct of the examinations.
“Taking into account the interest of the students who will be appearing on the upcoming under-graduate examinations that will commence from November 11, 2024, it is resolved to exempt the Examination Department from the current tool-down and pen-down strike for the smooth conduct of the exams,” NEHU Non-teaching Staff Association (NEHUNSA) general secretary Jonathan Phira Nongbri said today.
Administrative functions in NEHU came to standstill from November 4 following the indefinite strike by non-teaching staff to protest against the unprecedented delay in the promotion and recruitment process for vacancies that were advertised on November 3, 2023.
The crisis in NEHU is further compounded by the indefinite hunger strike launched by students in front of the office of the vice chancellor since yesterday evening.
The students have also announced a total lockdown of the university from November 6 onwards till all their demands were met.
The agitation was launched by NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) NEHU Unit.
