Shillong, Nov 8: As the students’ protest entered the fourth day, Vice Chancellor of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla, on Friday called an emergent meeting of the Executive Council to address the primary concerns raised by the North-Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU).
The meeting was convened in an effort to resolve the issues raised by NEHUSU, which included the removal of the Registrar and Deputy Registrar and the appointment of Pro-Vice-Chancellors for NEHU’s Shillong and Tura campuses.
However, due to disruptions caused by student protests, the Executive Council meeting could not be conducted. This has prevented the University administration from moving forward in addressing the students’ demands.
Accordingly, the VC has appealed to all students to engage in dialogue for resolution of their demands.
The university has been brought under total lockdown including locking of the gates of the university’s Shillong campus following the ongoing indefinite hunger strike protest led by the NEHUSU and backed by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU – NEHU Unit) for the past four days against the alleged failure of the Vice Chancellor Prof PS Shukla to terminate the services of Registrar and Deputy Registrar, whose appointment according to them were “illegal”.
Expressing his concern for the students’ well-being, Prof Shukla said, “I attempted to engage in discussions with the students directly to address these matters and urged them to end their hunger strike, as I am deeply concerned about the potential impact on their health. However, I was advised by the magistrate to refrain from visiting certain areas due to safety concerns.”
Prof Shukla emphasized his commitment to finding a constructive resolution but noted that without open dialogue, progress remains constrained. He has appealed to the students to end the hunger strike and participate in a meaningful conversation to address the issues at hand.
“I earnestly request the students, through the media, to call off the hunger strike and work with us to find solutions. Without dialogue, my hands are tied,” he added.
The Vice-Chancellor reaffirmed his commitment to addressing student concerns in a safe and collaborative manner and hoped that an open dialogue can be resumed at the earliest.
Meanwhile, more students participating in the hunger strike protest have taken ill and taken to the hospital.
Two more students were hospitalized on Friday, after the hunger strike completed 78 hours. They were rushed to the Shillong civil hospital.
On Thursday, three were hospitalised of which two have been discharged on Friday.
They are Kevin Nelson, Wanrap Rani, Morningstar Suting and Naphisabet Marweiñ.
Altogether, 19 students including leaders of the NEHUSU and KSU-NEHU are staging the hunger protest.
