NEHU VC blames professors for misleading students for ‘political agenda’; teachers say ‘he is the problem’

NEW DELHI: In an open statement, the vice chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Prabha Shankar Shukla accused a few professors for using the ongoing unrest for their “personal and political agenda”. Ridiculing the accusations, the NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) said, “he is the only cause of problems in NEHU”.

Addressing the students, the NEHU VC appealed: “Are you really fighting for a cause that benefits you, or are you being misled? Do not let the ambitions of a few individuals destroy your future. It is time to bring peace back to NEHU. Let us not allow NEHU’s reputation to suffer because of a few selfish individuals.”

The crisis escalated in October 2024 after the Academic Council meeting, where demands for the registrar's removal exposed deeper governance problems. The lack of academic resources and infrastructure facilities further triggered student protests.

In an exclusive interview with Careers360, a faculty member of NEHU talked about the challenges faced by the university. In November, a two-member team led by DP Singh, former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) visited the campus to assess the situation.

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NEHU crisis

On January 1, 2025, the ministry of education in a letter addressed to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) said that the committee visited NEHU, Shillong, from November 24-26, 2024, regarding dossier on "the anti-tribal and anti-local activities of the Vice-Chancellor of NEHU". “The committee has now submitted its report to the Ministry, which is currently under examination,” the letter said. However, the teachers and students claimed that the ministry has not made the inquiry report public.

“For all official purposes, he is on leave for the last 130 days continuously till date and have not joined/ reported to the NEHU Headquarter in Shillong after his leave was over. He has exhausted all the leaves he earned in NEHU,” the NEHUTA said in a statement today.

He was on leave from November 15, 2024. Nearly 4 months later, on March 3, he informed the acting registrar about resuming duty, but remotely from Delhi. Criticising Shukla’s attempt to rejoin remotely, the students under the banner of NEHU students’ union or NEHUSU resumed their agitation by locking all the gates, including the office of the VC.

"He has flouted all the Govt. of India leave rules, UGC Regulations 2018, Model Cadre Recruitment rules, NEHU Act, Statutes and Ordinances on numerous occasions," the NEHUTA alleged.