The hunger strike by the students of Shillong’s North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) entered its fifth day today, Saturday, November 9, despite appeals from Meghalaya's Governor and the university's Chief Rector, Chandrashekhar H Vijayashankar, urging them to end their agitation.
The hunger strike, led by the North Eastern Hill University Students Union (NEHUSU), is demanding the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla and four other senior officials, including Registrar Colonel Omkar Singh (Retired) and Deputy Registrar Amit Gupta, as reported by IANS.
The Meghalaya Governor met with representatives of the North Eastern Hill University Teachers' Association and Meghalaya Tribal Teachers’ Association on Friday, November 8, at Raj Bhavan, where he assured that the students' grievances would be addressed and urged them to call off their agitation.
In response to the students' demands, Vice-Chancellor Shukla wrote to NEHUSU President Sandy Sohtun, assuring that an inquiry committee would be formed to investigate the call for the removal of the Registrar and Deputy Registrar.
He also committed to convening a meeting of the Executive Council by November 14 to form the committee, promising that actions would be taken based on the inquiry's findings.
Additionally, Shukla expressed support for the appointment of a Pro-Vice-Chancellor to oversee the administration of the university's Tura campus.
However, NEHUSU leaders, including General Secretary Toniho S Kharsati, rejected these assurances, stating that they were dissatisfied with the Vice-Chancellor’s response and would continue their protest until their demands were met.
As part of their agitation, the students burned effigies of the vice-chancellor and blocked all entrances to the university campus.
At least six students, including a female protester, have been hospitalised due to health complications from the ongoing hunger strike, which began on November 5. Two of these students, after being discharged, returned to the strike.
The Khasi Students Union’s NEHU unit and the Meghalaya Tribal Teachers' Association have lent their support to the students' cause, which centres on claims of administrative incompetence.
Why are students protesting?
The students allege that under the current leadership, NEHU’s academic standing has suffered, with the university slipping 21 positions to 101 in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).
Kharsati criticised the vice-chancellor and other top officials for their perceived lack of leadership and for appointing individuals he described as "incompetent" to key positions, IANS added.
In addition to the student protests, the Non-teaching Staff Association (NEHUNSA) has joined the agitation, halting their work in response to delays in the recruitment process for positions that were advertised last year.
NEHU, the oldest central university in the northeast, serves students from across India and internationally, with students from countries such as the US, Russia, and Bangladesh. The ongoing protests highlight growing frustration over administrative failures and the deteriorating academic environment at the university.
