NEHU Students Step Up Protests, Burn Effigies of VC and University Officials

Guwahati:Protests at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) have intensified as students, already on an indefinite hunger strike, burned effigies of Vice-Chancellor Professor Prabha Shankar Shukla and other senior officials in the latest demonstration. The protest, which began on November 5, saw widespread participation from students across the university’s Shillong campus.The hunger strike, accompanied by a complete campus lockdown starting November 6, is the students’ response to long-standing grievances that they say have been ignored by the university administration. Their demands include the removal of the Registrar and Deputy Registrar, the appointment of a Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Tura campus, the immediate conduct of Post Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) elections, and the provision of basic amenities on campus.During the protest, healthcare workers were stationed on-site to monitor the health of the hunger-striking students, including those from the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU)-NEHU Unit and the NEHU Students Union (NEHUSU), who are also participating in the strike.In an attempt to resolve the issue, Vice-Chancellor Shukla issued a letter to the students the day before the protests escalated, urging them to end the strike and lift the lockdown. In his letter, he acknowledged the concerns raised about the Registrar and Deputy Registrar, stating, “I understand that there are some issues raised by the student community against these individuals.” However, the students dismissed the appeal, refusing to engage with Shukla and instead escalating their demands to include his resignation.The standoff between the students and the administration has drawn significant attention, with many voicing support for the students’ demands, while the university remains under pressure to address the situation swiftly.