SHILLONG, DEC 2: Classes at North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) will resume from December 3, following a decision by the North Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU-NEHU Unit). However, the unions remain steadfast in their demand for the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.S. Shukla.
“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,” said NEHUSU General Secretary Toniho Kharsati told mediapersons.
The student bodies have also urged the acting Vice-Chancellor, N. Saha, to convene an emergency meeting to discuss NEHU’s academic calendar and ensure smooth functioning of the institution.
Kharsati warned that while classes are resuming, any attempt by Prof. Shukla to return to the university will lead to renewed and intensified protests. “However, if we find any kind of communication from the VC side that he is trying to get into the university, the students’ union will rise and again take extreme measures of not allowing him entering into our university,” he stated.
The unions plan to escalate their agitation with peaceful sit-in demonstrations every day from 3 PM to 5 PM until their demand is met. “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 added.
Earlier, the student leader informed them that they were monitoring the situation following Prof Shukla’s decision to resume office today.
Commenting on Prof. Shukla’s decision to extend his leave until December 13, Kharsati remarked, “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 understands that it is very hard for him to join this university considering that all stakeholders, civil society 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.