Guwahati: The Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has expressed solidarity with the protesting students of the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
Taking note of the situation, the SFI has called for the Education Ministry’s immediate intervention to solve the ongoing crisis at NEHU.
Notably, the students have been on a hunger strike for the past 10 days, demanding better facilities and the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla and four other senior officials, including the Registrar.
“While the health conditions of hunger-striking students are rapidly deteriorating, the VC has chosen to escape from the University and has been staying in a hideout, showing a lack of concern for the students. This has legitimized the students’ demands, as the NEHU administration remains unresponsive to the ongoing students’ misery,” SFI General Secretary Biswas Mayukh Biswas stated.
The students of NEHU have been demanding improvement in basic infrastructure, access to academic resources, and improvement in hostel facilities since 2022. Despite submitting multiple memoranda to the Vice-Chancellor, their demands have largely been ignored.
“While the VC has time and again assured to fulfill the demands, in reality, he has put zero effort. It is also astonishing to find that two of the hostels meant for the accommodation of Research Scholars have been closed for more than two years in the name of renovation,” he said.
The SFI stated, “As Prof. Shukla approaches the end of his third year, the failure to appoint Pro- Vice Chancellors to the university’s other campuses stands in clear violation of university regulations. Critical positions have been filled by individuals who are often criticized as lacking competence and efficiency. His tenure has been marred by allegations of corruption and a lack of transparency, particularly regarding the appointment of key officials without adhering to proper procedures.”
The SFI further added that under Prof. Shukla’s leadership, NEHU’s infrastructure has deteriorated significantly, with students enduring inadequate basic facilities such as the absence of safe drinking water in hostels.
Additionally, research scholars often face delays in the approval of fellowships, it said.
The Students’ Federation of India contended that NEHU, which was once a premier institution in the Northeast, has been steadily declining due to administrative apathy and negligence.
NEHU is the first central university established in Meghalaya to promote academic excellence, foster research, and contribute to the social and cultural development of the region.
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It further added, “NEHU once held 15th position all over India in the NIRF University ranking. In the latest ranking, it has now slipped past 100. This also reflects the broader crisis that higher education is going through under the NDA government, which has consistently cut funds for public universities and tried to undermine premier institutions across the country. It has also sabotaged academic institutions by appointing persons in the administration aligned to their ideology.”
