Meghalaya: Senior-Most Professor Takes Over as Acting Vice-Chancellor Amid NEHU Leadership Vacuum

To address escalating administrative challenges at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in Meghalaya, Prof Saroj Kanta Barik, the university's most senior professor from the Department of Botany, has stepped in as Acting Vice-Chancellor.

Prof Barik assumed the role on Friday, citing the critical need to maintain operational stability. The Ministry of Education has been notified and is awaiting further instructions.

The decision came at the formal request of key university bodies, including the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association, Non-Teaching Staff Association, Students’ Union, the NEHU unit of the Khasi Students’ Union, and the Meghalaya Tribal Teachers’ Association.

These groups invoked Statute 2(A)5(i) of the NEHU Act, which permits the senior-most professor to discharge vice-chancellorial duties in the university's best interest when no regular or acting vice-chancellor is in place.

The stakeholders highlighted grave concerns about the institution's governance, noting that regular Vice-Chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla has been absent from the Shillong campus for 399 days, with his current whereabouts and status remaining uncertain.

The situation worsened after December 15, 2025, when the university lacked an Acting Vice-Chancellor at its headquarters. The recent resignation of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Shillong campus further eliminated any possibility of a standard transfer of responsibilities.

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