Tura, Dec 13: Regular university classes and normal functioning of NEHU, Tura campus, has been disrupted from Monday after student groups launched an indefinite picketing in retaliation of failure of the university authorities to fulfill their demands connected to improvement of the largest university in the Garo Hills region.
The agitation is being spearheaded by the All Garo Hills Joint Action Committee (AGHJAC) which includes leaders and groups like the Garo Students’ Union (GSU) and the Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC).
One of the core demands put forward by the conglomerate of student groups through the AGHJAC has been a demand for more seats for indigenous Garo Students in the university.
The grouse of the unions is that although the university has been set up in Garo Hills, at Chasingre near Tura, yet Garo students have to compete with others for the limited seats available for courses each year.
To make the situation more complex, the university has not been able to introduce more subjects, particularly those that are of immense significance in today’s world of crucial subjects thereby hampering future prospects of young minds when they leave college in search of jobs.
The protesters have also been miffed with the university authorities for failing to fulfill the demand of regularization of jobs of dozens of employees who have been on contractual period for years altogether.
Contractual staff are denied many financial benefits even though they provide same working hours as regular employees.
Delay in establishing more housing facilities for students and staff and centres for classes has also been blamed on the university authorities who are accused of going back on their word even though multiple reminders were given by the student bodies.
The agitating groups are of the view that only a local Pro Vice Chancellor can understand the ground realities facing the Tura campus and have been pitching for a Garo head as part of their demand during this ongoing strike.
