NEHU Vice Chancellor accused of tribal discrimination, nepotism, and transforming university into ‘monolith of Hindi Hindu Brahminical’ entity

The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has submitted a comprehensive dossier to Nirupam Chakma, Member of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, accusing Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla, Vice Chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), of engaging in anti-tribal and anti-local activities. The dossier, prepared as a follow-up to a visit by Chakma’s team on July 25, 2024, highlighted concerns about Prof Shukla’s management and appointments within the university.

The dossier accused Prof Shukla of undermining the socio-economic and cultural development of Meghalaya and the broader North-Eastern region by allegedly discriminating against local tribal candidates in key university appointments. Specific concerns raised include filling up posts of non-teaching positions like Deputy Registrar, Registrar, and Finance Officer.

The dossier accused Prof Shukla of attempting to completely change the harmonious tribal, ethnic and other Indian character of NEHU into a “monolith of Hindi Hindu Brahminical University”.

According to the dossier, Shukla appointed an ex-Army retired Colonel, Omkar Singh, in the post of Controller of Examinations by keeping out qualified, academically experienced and intellectually sound candidates of tribal and ethnic origins from the state of Meghalaya.

He was also accused of importing a candidate without much credentials in the field of running academic administration and a complex thing like conduct of Office of Controller of Examinations.

“This person retired from a school and obviously, without any experience of working in any college or University. In spite of having well-qualified tribal candidates, who have taught in university and colleges for decades, he still appointed Omkar Singh which smacks of favouritism and nepotism,” the dossier alleged.

The dossier claimed that after Singh’s underperformance as Controller of Examinations, Prof Shukla promoted him to Registrar, further igniting accusations of favoritism. Singh’s mismanagement reportedly culminated in chaos during the CUET Undergraduate examination on May 15, 2024, where he served as Supervisor.

The dossier alleged that the appointments of Deputy Registrars were marked by nepotism, with individuals from outside the region, such as Kumar and Gupta, being chosen over local candidates. The dossier suggested that Prof. Shukla’s appointments were part of a broader strategy to marginalize local talent and replace it with outsiders.

“The idea is to deprive qualified local candidates and import people like Omkar Singh and romp over NEHU so that an insensitive ill-informed and rootless crop of newcomers from a certain region of the country can rule over NEHU by side-lining all shades of transparency, fairness, natural justice and the like,” the dossier added.

Prof Shukla is also criticized for the appointment of a Finance Officer who, according to the dossier, was selected despite not meeting the required qualifications. This is said to have contributed to a discouraging environment, deterring qualified candidates from applying for positions at NEHU.

The dossier highlighted significant operational issues, including a major electricity breakdown lasting over 35 hours during a critical period, exacerbating concerns about the administration’s competence and accountability.

The dossier also highlights a contentious issue regarding the appointment of Deans at NEHU. According to NEHUTA, Prof. Shukla reappointed an individual who had already served a term as Dean of the School of Social Sciences to another term. The dossier argued that Prof Shukla’s reappointment decision contravenes several well-established procedures, NEHU Act, Statutes, Ordinances, and Regulations. It claimed that this action effectively denied qualified tribal professors from Meghalaya and the broader Northeast region, violating their rights and overlooking the principles of fairness.

Furthermore, the dossier asserted that Prof. Shukla’s actions violate the Right to Equality as guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Indian Constitution. By not adhering to the established practice of ‘rotation by seniority’ for Dean appointments, Prof Shukla is accused of neglecting the rights of tribal teachers to fair and equitable treatment in academic appointments.

These were just a few of the many allegations against Professor Shukla. NEHUTA had called for prompt intervention from the Member of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to safeguard the interests of the tribals of NEHU, Meghalaya, the entire Northeast region, and above all, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong.

MT