Shillong, Nov 20: After 16 days of persistence amidst the wintery nights and failing health, the students of North Easter Hill University (NEHU) have announced a temporary suspension of their indefinite hunger strike.

The announcement was made on Wednesday evening by NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU) president, Sandy Sohtun, after intense appeals by different sections including teachers, community members and doctors, and partial fulfilment of their demands.

However, he informed that the university will remain closed and classes will remain suspended as their agitation is not over as their core demand of removal of Prof. PS Shukla as VC of NEHU is yet to be fulfilled. The agitation will continue, albeit in a curtailed manner that will include sit-in protest on weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM infront of the VC’s office, suspension of classes, and re-opening of few services.

Students led by NEHUSU and backed by KSU-NEHU Unit had been on indefinite hunger strike against the alleged mismanagement and administrative failures within the University since November 5, 2024. They have been demanding removal of the Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof. PS Shukla, Registrar, and the Deputy Registrar for their alleged ‘incompetence’ and failure to bring reforms and decline in its national ranking as well as infrastructural deterioration.

Last week, Union Ministry of Education constituted a 2-member committee to probe the allegations of administrative irregularities in the university. Following this, VC Shukla went on a 2-week leave.

In his absence, Prof. N. Saha has been appointed as the VC in-charge of the institute. In a bid to restore normalcy, Prof. Saha engaged with key stakeholders including NEHU Students’ Union (NEHUSU), NEHU Non-Teaching Staff Association (NEHUNSA), and NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA). He also formed an internal inquiry committee with representatives from major stakeholders to address core concerns, the report of which was submitted to the Union Education Ministry on Wednesday afternoon. He was also successful in breaking two weeks of deadlock between the administration and NEHUSU, and resume some of the essential administrative operations, ensuring scholarships and academic activities continue.

“In consideration of the requests from the teachers, the staffs, and even the doctor and based on the medical advice, we have seen that the health of our students, the members who have been starving for 16 days, has been deteriorating so we the KSU-NEHU Unit and NEHUSU have decided that we will temporarily suspend this hunger strike,” Sohtun announced.

He also clarified that this does not mean the end of the agitation. “We will continue the protest during the weekdays from 9 to 5 and will not move from this place until and unless our demands will be fulfilled… We await the report of the committee which has been dispatched from the Ministry of Education. But if the Ministry of Education fails to take appropriate action, based on the report by the committee which they will be sending, we will again resume this hunger strike or we can take other measures,” he further said.

In addition, he declared that the students will not allow Prof. Shukla to enter the university. “We won’t stay quiet; we will raise our voice. We stay firm in our decision that we won’t be allowing prof. Shukla to enter in this university of ours,” he declared.

Following the declaration of the temporary suspension of the hunger strike, the students that were part of the 16 days of hunger strike were felicitated and given soup and fruits to break their hunger strike.

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