NEHUSU, KSU to allow classes to resume from Dec 3, protest to continue

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 2, 2024

Agitating students under the banner of the North Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU – NEHU Unit) on Monday announced their decision to allow classes to be resumed from December 3 and to stage an indefinite two-hour sit-in-demonstration till the demand for removal of the incumbent vice chancellor Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla is achieved.

Speaking to media persons, NEHUSU general secretary Toniho Kharsati said, “Our main demand is for the removal of the incumbent VC. It is almost going to be one month that we have not had any physical classes in the university and keeping in mind the future of the students – we do not want to jeopardize the future students only for the sake of this incompetence VC, the NEHUSU and KSU have decided to resume the classes from December 3.”

He said the student bodies also requested the VC In-charge N Saha to call for an emergency meeting to discuss the academic calendar of the university to ensure the smooth functioning of the university.

Stating that normalcy is assured if Prof Shukla does not return to NEHU, Kharsati warned, “However, if we find any kind of communication from the VC side that he is trying to get into the university, the students’ union rise and again take extreme measures of not allowing him entering into our university.”

He informed that the two student bodies have decided to intensify their protest by staging a sit-in-demonstration till the incumbent VC is ousted from the university.

“We want to send a message to the public at large that this movement is still alive and we are keeping it alive by having a sit-in-demonstration from 3pm till 5pm everyday.

We want to show that until and unless the VC is being removed we will not stop our agitation. However, we will keep this agitation as much as possible peaceful,” Kharsati stated.

Earlier, the student leader informed that they were monitoring the situation following the Prof Shukla’s decision to resume office today.

NEHU VC extends leave till Dec 13 following stiff protest

“But we are firm with our stance that we will not allow the incumbent VC to step foot in this university again. Later, we learned that he has extended his leave till December 13. We firmly believe that the VC understood that it is very hard for him to join this university considering that all stakeholders, civil soceity organizations and the state as a whole that we are fed up with his leadership and we do not want him to step foot in this university,” he added.

Meanwhile, the two-member committee appointed by the Ministry of Education to probe into the alleged mismanagement and administrative failures within NEHU is yet to submit its report for necessary action on the matter.

Earlier, the agitating students had staged an indefinite hunger strike which lasted 16 long days and was later temporarily suspended after many of them were hospitalized.