Meghalaya’s North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla, has announced the appointment of new Pro Vice-Chancellors for its Shillong and Tura campuses as students continue a hunger strike demanding administrative changes and improved campus facilities.
In the latest move, Prof. Sherwin May Sungoh from NEHU’s Department of Education has been appointed Pro VC for the Shillong campus, while Dr. Fameline K. Marak from the Department of Garo will assume the role at the Tura campus. The appointments, approved by the university’s Executive Council, were made official on November 13.
The decision follows a week of protests led by NEHU students, who are calling for Vice Chancellor Shukla’s resignation alongside four senior officials, including the Registrar and Deputy Registrar. Students have been voicing their discontent over inadequate facilities and governance issues, which led to the hunger strike.
Expressions of solidarity from various student groups, including the Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU), underscore the urgency of the situation. “The health of hunger-striking students is deteriorating, with many hospitalised,” JNUSU’s statement warned, highlighting the severity of the unfolding crisis at NEHU.