Meghalaya: NEHU student bodies urge staff to reject orders from absent university leaders

North-Eastern Hill University student organisations have called on non-teaching staff to disregard all directives from top administrators who they claim are improperly attempting to lead the institution remotely.

The North-Eastern Hill University Students' Union (NEHUSU) and Khasi Students' Union (KSU) sent a formal letter to the university's non-teaching staff association requesting they ignore any "direction(s), order(s), meeting(s), decision(s) or instruction(s)" from Vice Chancellor Prof PS Shukla and Registrar Col. Omkar Singh.

According to the student bodies, both administrators have been absent from campus for extended periods but continue to issue orders from outside the university's jurisdiction. They argue this violates Section 6(1) of the NEHU Act of 1973.

"Prof. PS Shukla has been on continuous leave for 127 days and has failed to discharge his duties since November 15, 2024," the letter states. The students reject Shukla's attempts to resume duties online from Delhi, calling it "arbitrary, unsubstantiated, and against established rules."

The student groups emphasized that university regulations do not permit remote resumption of administrative duties and warned that such precedents threaten the proper governance of the institution.

Similarly, they declared Col. Singh's directives invalid as he "has failed to report back to the university since his leave commenced."

Both student organisations reiterated their position that Shukla and Singh are considered "persona non grata" — a status they say is endorsed by various civil organizations and the local community. They warned that faculty members who oppose this stance will be viewed as acting against the interests of the student community.