Shillong, Dec 17: Professor S. Umdor has resigned as Pro Vice Chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Meghalaya, citing an untenable administrative environment marked by prolonged uncertainty, the absence of key officials and sustained campus unrest.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Prof Umdor said his resignation took effect from the afternoon of December 15, 2025. He had conveyed his decision during a meeting with deans and university officers on December 12.
“Given the prevailing situation marked by the absence of essential support systems and continued uncertainty surrounding key institutional decisions it was felt that continuing in office would not serve the best interests of the university or uphold the standards of accountability and professionalism expected of the position,” he said.
Prof Umdor had been appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Shillong campus in June 2025 by Vice-Chancellor P.S. Shukla, who has remained away from the campus since proceeding on leave in November 2024 amid protests by students, teachers and non-teaching staff demanding his removal over alleged mismanagement. Sections of the university community had also questioned the legitimacy of Umdor’s appointment, alleging it was made unilaterally during an administrative crisis.
During his tenure, Prof Umdor effectively oversaw the university’s academic and administrative functions in the prolonged absence of the Vice-Chancellor. He said the period was marked by severe financial constraints, including a 42 per cent reduction in UGC recurring grants for the 2025–26 financial year.
Despite these challenges, NEHU conducted end-of-semester examinations on schedule, completed long-pending teacher promotions under the Career Advancement Scheme at Levels 11 and 12, carried out non-teaching staff promotions through the Departmental Promotion Committee, and operationalised a 100-seater girls’ hostel with 24 additional seats. The university also hosted the Smart India Hackathon 2025, advanced the NEP-UG programme into its fifth semester with revised curricula, and conducted CUET-based admissions for affiliated colleges in Meghalaya for the first time.
However, Prof Umdor said repeated attempts to convene Executive Council meetings under the Vice-Chancellor’s chairmanship, despite strong opposition from students and staff associations, contributed to unrest and vitiated the campus atmosphere. His proposal to allow the Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Tura campus to chair the meetings temporarily was not accepted.
He also pointed to a series of high-level resignations, including those of the registrar, finance officer and senior faculty members who had taken on additional administrative responsibilities, underscoring the depth of the crisis.
On Monday, the NEHU Students’ Union, Teachers’ Association and Non-Teaching Staff Association jointly demanded Prof Umdor’s resignation, alleging administrative paralysis and failure to function in line with assurances given by representatives of the Union education ministry to restore stability and normalcy.
Expressing gratitude for the cooperation he received, Prof Umdor said he hoped for the restoration of stability and continued progress of NEHU in service of the region and its people.
The central university now faces the challenge of appointing new leadership while addressing the underlying governance issues that have triggered the ongoing crisis.
