Scuffle between NEHU students not communal

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 19: The North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) today said the recent scuffle among students residing in the hostel was in no way related to communal issues.

The Monday night incident, which involved a verbal altercation and physical confrontation among students residing in the hostel, was related to disagreements regarding the rules and regulations governing hostel life.

Immediate action was taken to diffuse the situation and ensure the safety and well-being of all students involved.

The Dean of Students Welfare, the Warden of Hostel 19 and the University’s Security Officer promptly arrived at the scene to pacify the situation and maintain order.

Furthermore, local law enforcement was notified of the incident, and they promptly arrived on the NEHU premises to assess the situation and assist in maintaining peace and order.

The NEHU Vice Chancellor Prof PS Shukla today convened a high-level meeting to address the incident comprehensively. The meeting was attended Registrar, the Dean of Students Welfare, Proctor, Security Officer, and the Warden of Hostel No. 19.

“The purpose of this meeting was to thoroughly discuss the matter and ensure that due disciplinary actions are taken in accordance with the rules and regulations of the University,” NEHU PRO Dr Davidson Pyngrope said in a statement.

“NEHU wishes to emphasize that the situation has been brought under control, and the incident was in no way related to communal issues, as falsely reported by various sources. The University remains committed to upholding a safe and inclusive environment for all students, and any breaches of conduct will be addressed with utmost seriousness and adherence to established protocols,” he said.

Meanwhile, NEHU urged all stakeholders, including staff, students, parents, and the general public, to rely on official statements and verified information provided by the University to avoid spreading baseless rumours or misinformation.

“The University remains dedicated to the holistic development and well-being of its student community and will continue to take all necessary steps to maintain a harmonious and conducive learning environment,” Prof Pyngrope said.

Cut off year for roster system should not be 1972: HNYM

Pushing ahead its demand for a review of the Reservation Policy and also moving ahead with the implementation of the roster system, the Hynniewtrep National Youth Movement (HNYM) has demanded that Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma calls for a special session of the State Assembly.

Speaking to media persons today, HNYM President Louis Dohtdong said that they are not against the roster system but it should either be implemented prospectively from the date of the notifying the office memorandum (MO) or it is up to the wisdom of the government with regard to the cut-off year but it should not be from 1972.

Dohtdong expressed concern about the continuous pressure from the Garo Hills region to continue with the implementation of the roster system from the year 1972 and alleged that this is purely biased towards the Garo community.

“We want to make it clear that we are not against the roster system but we are against the cut-off year hence we demand from the Chief Minister to convene a Special Session to review the Reservation policy and on how to go ahead with the roster system,” said Dohtdong.

Dohtdong said that the HNYM also demands from the state government to review and freshly implement the reservation policy as per population as the Khasi-Jaintia community is more when compared to the Garo community.

While condemning the A•chik Conscious Holistic Integrated Krima (ACHIK) for demanding that the cut-off year for the implementation of the Roster System to be 1972, Dohtdong alleged that the Garo Hills-based social organisation is being greedy.

He added that the Garos communities are the ones who have benefited from the reservation policy that allocates 40 per cent for the Khasi-Jaintia category and 40 per cent for Garos.

“The HNYM is ready to come to the streets if the state government continues to implement the roster system from 1972 as this cut-off year is unfair to the Khasi-Jaintia community” he added.

7th NEGC-2023 concludes at USTM

The three-day-long 7th North East Graduate Congress (NEGC)-2023 has successfully concluded today at the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) with the participation of more than 10,000 college students from various colleges of the eight northeastern states of India.

Among the various competitions, the Best Performing College award went to Sibsagar College, while Kampur College won the Best Magazine prize. The Best Debater award went to Saphira Magdaline Lyngdoh from St Anthony’s College, Shillong, and the winner of the Cultural Procession was Mayong Ancholik College.

A total of 46 competitions in various sports, cultural, literary and start-up categories, as well as sessions on competitive examinations, personality development and a job fair took place in this mega youth event. Attractive awards worth Rs 50 lakh, including two-wheelers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and cash prizes were awarded to the winners of different competitions.

Addressing a large gathering of students and teachers, Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM, said, “We have been organising NEGC to benefit the region’s youths by helping them set their vision so that they can shoulder responsibilities and contribute to nation-building.” NEGC is the most acclaimed flagship programme of USTM that aims to inculcate the spirit of competitiveness, regional integrity, social harmony and brotherhood among the youth, he added.

To provide the best employment opportunities to the educated youths of the region, a mega job fair was also organized for the NEGC participants. More than 500 Graduates from various institutions participated in the Job Fair. Companies such as Bajaj Allianz, Reliance Jio, Kotak Life Insurance, CavinKare, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, MGT Motors Pvt. Ltd were a part of the Job Fair to recruit the youths. Around 150 students have been shortlisted for different positions from technical to non-technical profiles.

A spectacular view of the rich cultural mosaic of the North East was showcased by thousands of the youth from different colleges of the eight states of the region at the playground of USTM. The inaugural ceremony of NEGC-2023 was witnessed by a galaxy of prominent personalities ranging from youth icons, academia, politicians, cultural and sports icons, motivational speakers, principals of various colleges, faculty members and many students.

In this 7th edition of NEGC, various co-curricular activities were organised. The cultural competitions include cultural showcasing, skit, group song, group dance, on-the-spot painting, mehendi, cartooning, photography and rongoli. The sports competitions are volleyball, kabaddi, chess, arm wrestling, powerlifting, badminton, basketball, and horse riding. The literary competitions include debate, quiz and start-up.