SHILLONG, Nov 15: Amid ongoing protests by students, faculty members and non-teaching staff, North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) vice-chancellor Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla has gone on leave until November 29.
The move comes after a wave of unrest on campus, with students demanding his removal over his alleged failure to dismiss the university’s “incompetent” registrar and assistant registrar.
In an email to the university registrar, Shukla announced that he would take earned leave starting November 17, citing “unavoidable circumstances.”
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He also handed over his responsibilities to Prof N. Saha, the senior-most professor at the university.
The leave follows a decision by the Union ministry of education to launch an investigation into the university’s alleged mismanagement and administrative issues.
The probe will be led by former UGC chairman Prof D P Singh and includes Prof Dilip Chandra Nath, former VC of Assam University. The committee has been given 15 days to submit its report.
The protests, which included a hunger strike lasting over 10 days, have significantly impacted the functioning of NEHU, which has nearly 5,000 students.
Several students were admitted to the hospital due to the protest, and university students’ union leader Sandy Sohtun was recently admitted for health complications.
Additionally, the VC’s residence was vandalised by unidentified assailants earlier this week, though no injuries were reported. (PTI)
