Shillong: The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) campus is embroiled in a growing controversy as the Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA), Students’ Union (NEHUSU), and Non-Teaching Staff Association (NEHUNSA) have collectively issued a formal demand for the cessation of salary payments to Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla, Registrar Omkar Singh, and Deputy Registrar Amit Gupta.
The core of their grievance lies in the prolonged absence of these officials from the university headquarters, a period they claim has now stretched to 130 consecutive days without any sanctioned authorization.
The associations’ letter details that Vice Chancellor Shukla initiated earned leave on November 15, 2024, which was subsequently extended until March 2, but he has allegedly failed to resume his duties on campus. The letter further alleges that “Prof Shukla exhausted all the leave he earned during his tenure before he absconded from the campus on November 1, 2024.” Similar accusations of unauthorized absence have been leveled against Registrar Omkar Singh and Deputy Registrar Amit Gupta.
In a move signaling potential escalation, the associations have warned of collective action if their demands are not addressed promptly. They have indicated a willingness to encourage their members to “take earned leave for a few days, go anywhere they want and join virtually under some lame excuse without coming to the station,” highlighting a deep-seated frustration over what they perceive as double standards.
The associations have invoked constitutional principles, specifically Articles 14, 15, and 16, which guarantee equality before the law, arguing that if central service rules can be relaxed for high-ranking administrators, similar concessions should be afforded to all faculty and non-teaching staff. They have also requested that all official communications bypass the absent Vice Chancellor and be routed solely through the acting Registrar’s office.
Furthermore, the associations have demanded that Vice Chancellor Shukla be held financially accountable for any utilization of university guesthouses, requiring him to pay standard rates, and that he personally cover his travel expenses. They have also called for disciplinary action against the three officials, invoking the Central Civil Services (CCA) Rules of 1965.
Currently, Professor Nirmalendu Saha is fulfilling the duties of Acting Vice Chancellor, stepping in as the senior-most professor in the absence of Professor Shukla, in adherence to NEHU statutes.
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