NEHU V-C extends leave to avoid confrontation with agitating students

NEHU Vice-Chancellor extends leave amid student protests, seeks security support to resume duties on December 2.

GUWAHATI

Prabha Shankar Shukla, the beleaguered Vice-Chancellor of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) on the outskirts of Shillong in Meghalaya, extended his leave up to December 13 to avoid a potential confrontation with the agitating students.

Mr. Shukla went on leave after the students, teachers, and staff of the university began agitating against his alleged mismanagement and autocratic style of function in the first week of November. The students staged a hunger strike for nearly three weeks, demanding the removal of the Vice-Chancellor and a few others, including the Registrar and the Deputy Registrar (Academics) he had allegedly appointed illegally. Mr. Shukla’s leave ended on November 29.

On November 27, he wrote a letter to the Principal Secretary of Higher Education seeking “adequate security support from the Central government” to resume his duties at the NEHU from December 2.

“He wrote the letter before the two-member inquiry committee constituted by the Education Ministry, which was to submit its report on November 29, sought a 15-day extension. He extended his earned leave accordingly,” a NEHU official said on Monday.