NEHU Students’ Union announces indefinite suspension of classes to protest police deployment on campus

Shillong, April 28: The North Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) on Monday called for an indefinite suspension of classes as a mark of protest against heavy deployment of police forces and CRPF personnel inside the Shillong campus.

Over two platoons of police personnel and a section of CRPF unit are presently deployed in the campus following the recent assault on an assistant professor in the university’s Hindi department.

This has evoked strong criticism from the students’ fraternity, who have asked the district magistrates to direct all police personnel to leave the campus of the university and to be stationed elsewhere.

“We are calling for an indefinite suspension of classes until and unless the police personnel vacate the university premises. That is the ultimatum we are giving (the state authorities),” NEHUSU general secretary Toniho Kharsati announced while addressing the students in the premises after a 3-hour long standoff with the magistrate and police.

“Hear me out loud. The students’ union have been cooperating with them but if they are really threatening the students’ community of the university, we won’t step down. We are responsive and we will give the response in this way,” he stated.

Stating that the battle has just begun, Kharsati said, “Until and unless these people leave, we will not step in the classes. That’s the final ultimatum. We look forward to your cooperation tomorrow, because if they want to occupy our university, let them occupy, we will sit outside the gates. If they want to sit inside the campus, sit inside the campus and you learn whatever you want to learn, we will stay outside the campus.”

The FIR filed by the teacher was registered with the Mawkynroh police outpost. Based on which, police arrested the president of the North Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) Sandy Sohtun on Monday. The FIR has also mentioned the presence of five other students during the incident.

When contacted, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said that the deployment of two platoons of police personnel was to ensure safety and security of all in the NEHU campus.

He also informed that investigation is still on and law will take its own course against those involved in the recent assault of the teacher.

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