FKJGP condemns arrest of NEHUSU president, demands govt to set up independent probe

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 28, 2025

The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) has condemned the arrest of the president of North Eastern Hill University Students Union (NEHUSU) Sandy Sohtun and demanded the state government to institute an independent inquiry into the alleged assault of a teacher.

In a statement issued on Monday, FKJGP vice president Kitboklang Nongphlang said, “We feel there is something behind the allegation made against Sohtun by one of the teachers, which is to silence the voice of the students from demanding their rights for a brighter future through the smooth functioning of the university.”

He also noted that the university has witnessed a series of protests after the NEHUSU under the leadership of Sohtun has exposed irregularities in the functioning of the NEHU. This has led to the continued demand for the immediate removal of the incumbent vice chancellor Prof PS Shukla.

Nongphlang also slammed the alleged failure of the state government to intervene for resolving the ongoing crisis in the university.

NEHUSU president arrested in teacher assault case

Further, the FKJGP has observed that the deployment of police in NEHU has caused panic among the students instead of providing a sense of safety and security.

“Therefore, we strongly urge the state government to intervene by immediately instituting an independent inquiry into the entire incident,” Nongphlang said.

The FKJGP has also warned outside forces to refrain from any attempt to mislead and cover up the wrong doings of the incumbent VC, who has been rejected by students and teaching and non-teaching fraternity of the university.

“We are committed to find out the truth and we will not allow our students to become scapegoats.”

NEHU students demand immediate removal of police forces from campus