The North Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) in Meghalaya rejected Vice-Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla’s proposal for an independent probe, calling it a distraction tactic. NEHUSU General Secretary Toniho S Kharsati stated that the students’ priority is now the removal of the VC in NEHU, Meghalaya, and not the probe, as stated in a report by The Northeast News.

Furthermore, the students claimed they were unhappy with the VC’s handling of the university’s affairs, citing it as “illegal appointments” and a “total breakdown of administration.”

The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) has also sought the intervention of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resolve the crisis. The NESO is a conglomeration of eight student bodies from all NE states.

Their key demands include the removal of VC Prabha Shankar Shukla and the resumption of normal classes only after the VC’s resignation.

What is NEHU crisis?

NEHU students launched an ongoing indefinite hunger strike under the banner of the NEHU Students' Union (NEHUSU), and the KSU NEHU Unit. To protect the overall interests of the students of the NE region, the students demand the removal of Vice-Chancellor PS Shukla.

According to PTI, the organisation blamed Shukla for the decline in the university's rankings. Before PS Shukla's term as VC, NEHU was consistently ranked within the top 60 universities nationally. However, under his leadership, the university's ranking has plummeted to range between 100-150, they claimed.