NEHU Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla has taken a leave of absence until November 4 amid the crisis at North-Eastern Hill University, where the NEHUSU and NEHUTA are in revolt against the alleged authoritarian behavior of the university’s leaders and the flagrant violations of its statutes and acts. Both Deputy Registrar Amit Gupta and NEHU Registrar Colonel Omkar Singh, who are also under fire for their contentious appointments, have taken time off till October 31.
Because Singh “is not fit and competent to hold” the office of registrar, NEHUTA and NEHUSU have requested that the Vice Chancellor dismiss Singh’s employment. When contacted, Lakhon Kma, president of NEHUTA, said he was surprised that the VC had chosen to take a leave of absence, particularly in light of the events that occurred on Friday during the varsity’s 113th Academic Council meeting. “We had anticipated that the VC would take action to break the impasse, but he decided to take a leave of absence,” Kma stated. Kma added that the VC had previously taken time off when the university had experienced a difficulty.
He said that when instructors and students protested the proposal to apply the NEP, 2020 to undergraduate courses without the Academic Council’s consent, Prof. Shukla had taken a leave of absence. The VC was out of town during the May CUET fiasco, the NEHUTA president added. Kma accused the VC of taking leaves in order to avoid dealing with protests from students or faculty, saying, “He (Prof Shukla) was on leave when the university was in darkness without electricity for three consecutive days.”
