The pro vice-chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), professor S. Umdor, resigned from his post on Monday afternoon, citing the “absence of essential support systems and continued uncertainty surrounding key institutional decisions”.

The development was announced on Tuesday, a day after university students, teachers and non-teaching staff demanded his resignation, alleging that he was “unable and/or not allowed to function in accordance with the assurances given by the ministry’s representatives” to the university community.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Umdor said he had communicated his decision to step down during a meeting with the deans and officers of the university on Friday. NEHU is located in Meghalaya.

Umdor was appointed pro vice-chancellor of the Shillong campus in June by vice-chancellor (VC) P.S. Shukla, who has remained away from the campus since proceeding on leave on November 14, 2024, following sustained protests by students, teachers and non-teaching staff demanding his removal over alleged mismanagement. The university fraternity had also questioned the legitimacy of Umdor’s appointment, contending that it was made unilaterally by Shukla amid an administrative crisis.

In his statement, Umdor said: “Repeated attempts to convene meetings of the executive council under the chairmanship of the vice-chancellor — despite strong opposition from students and staff associations — have contributed to unrest and have vitiated the campus atmosphere…”

Explaining his decision, he said: “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 expressed hope for the restoration of stability and the continued progress of NEHU in service of the region and its people.

The statement also referred to the resignation of several key officials, underlining the depth of the ongoing administrative crisis at the central university.

“Decisions and actions taken in the routine discharge of academic and administrative responsibilities have increasingly been contested, leading to delays and disruption. These circumstances have also resulted in the resignation of the registrar, the finance officer and senior faculty members who had voluntarily taken on additional administrative responsibilities,” Umdor’s statement said.

NEHU in Meghalaya and Tezpur University in Assam are the two central universities in the Northeast currently facing turmoil triggered by prolonged protests against their respective vice-chancellors. Students, teachers and non-teaching staff at both institutions have remained firm in their demand for leadership change. At Tezpur University, protests seeking the removal of vice-chancellor S.N. Singh have continued since November 27. Singh was last seen on campus on September 22.

On the day Umdor resigned, the NEHU Students’ Union, Teachers’ Association and Non-Teaching Staff Association, in a joint letter seeking his resignation, alleged that he had failed to function in line with the assurances given by education ministry representatives “to restore stability, transparency and normalcy in the functioning of the university”.

Later in the evening, the NEHU fraternity also urged the pro-VC of the Tura campus of the university to step down.