SHILLONG:
The Joint Action Committee comprising several recognised statutory associations/union of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and spearheading the demand for resolution of issues concerning the university has decided to scale-up the intensity of the ongoing agitation against the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla.
Accordingly, the JAC has decided to resort to non-cooperation movement starting with the upcoming Academic Council meeting against non-fulfillment of its demands.
The JAC in a statement informed that NEHU Student’s Union (NEHUSU) has formally joined it to fight for the overall welfare of the University. At the same time, it thanked the Meghalaya Tribal Teacher’s Association (MeTTA) for their full support to JAC. “JAC has viewed very seriously towards the Vice Chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla’s casual and indifferent attitude with respect to the demands put forth by the three constituents of JAC-namely NEHUTA, NEHUNSA and NEHUSU for quite a long time,” the statement said.
It said JAC the deadline vide letter No.JAC/2023/02 dated October 19, to remove the illegally appointed contractual Technical Officer/Senior Consultant Rohit Prasad has expired. “Since the VC chose to side with the incumbent, ignoring the illegality and sentiments of the stakeholders, we are left with no other alternative but to go on an all-out protest starting with non-cooperation and non-participation in the conduct of the upcoming 111th Academic Council meeting scheduled to be held on 31st October at 11 a.m. in Multi-use Convention Hall,” the statement said.
Apart from the demand for removal of Rohit Prasad, the JAC listed several “genuine” long pending demands which the VC was supposed to fulfill in a time-bound manner. These demands were: Immediate appointment of the Statutory Officers, University Engineer and Director, CDC; Deteriorating condition of the University Health Centre (Non-availability of medicines, testing facilities, etc.); advertisement of non-teaching posts; delay in functioning of GeM, hampering the procurement of everything in the University including medicines in health centre; and chemicals and reagents, affecting the student’s practical and research work of PhD scholars; relieving of teaching faculties and technical staff who are forced to perform ministerial duties; non-holding of regular convocation and security lapses within the campus.
“These are the long pending demands of the 3 (Three) recognized statutory Associations/Union of NEHU, which the VC has chosen to ignore it. As the VC haven’t respected the deadlines of removal of Rohit Prasad nor initiated any process to fulfill the long pending issues of the three Associations of NEHU as mentioned above, we are intensifying our agitation. Accordingly, the JAC decided to start with the non-cooperation and non-participation in the conduct of the 111th Academic Council meeting. At the same time, it will organize a General Assembly of JAC on the 31st of October, 2023 in Multi-use Convention Hall at 10:30 a.m. to deliberate on the above mentioned agenda. All the members of the JAC, MeTTA members and Research Scholar’s Forum, NEHU have been requested to attend the meeting/Assembly positively,” the statement said.
It warned that if the demands are not fulfilled in a time-bound manner, the non-cooperation movement is only going to be further intensified in all future agitations, which shall be intimated to the VC in due course of time.
“Hope Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla understands the depth and seriousness of JAC demands and acts accordingly for the overall well-being of NEHU,” the statement said.