Gaurav Gogoi responds to ‘systematic capture of universities’ as pro-vice chancellor of NEHU quits

The Congress MP from the region, Gaurav Gogoi, also expressed grave concerns regarding the “systematic capture and neglect of universities” in the region regarding the resignation of the pro vice-chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in the state of Meghalaya. This recent turn of events seems to open old wounds regarding political intervention, governance, and autonomy in India's central universities.

However, in reaction to the resignation, Gogoi alleged that the Modi Government is allowing an institutional crisis to develop in the central universities in the region. "This resignation reveals grave governance distress,” asserted the Assam Member of Parliament, "Students, teachers, and non-academics are suffering from the costs of absent leadership."

Professor S Umdor, pro vice-chancellor at NEHU, had to step down on the 15th of December 2025 due to the “untenable administrative environment.” This resignation comes after several months of handling the responsibilities at the university while the vice-chancellor is away not only on campus but even in the state of Meghalaya. Reliable sources inside the university have confirmed that several key members have put in their resignation recently due to the unrest inside the campus.

Prof Umdor made the formal announcement of his resignation during a meeting with deans and senior administration officials on December 12, with the resignation to take effect on the afternoon of the following Sunday. There have been reported concerns regarding the consequent paralysis of decision making following the resignation.

Gogoi referred the crisis in NEHU to the larger tendency involving other central universities in the Northeast. He mentioned the earlier warning by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Congress in the opposition in Parliament, that “politics has crept into the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, and this has brought the autonomy of our institutions to naught. The Vice-Chancellor, instead of serving the institution, has become the institution.”

“This has weakened the edifice of our education system and our democracy. The effect has been to undermine the autonomy of our institutions, and the autonomy of our institutions has

“This is just another case,” added another Congress leader, referring to another crisis at Tezpur University in Assam. “There are administration difficulties at Tezpur University. These are all instances of dysfunction in our institutions,” Congress leader Digvijaya Singh told CNN-News18. “This isn’t an incident in isolation. This has been happening in our central universities,” Congress leader Rana Sodhi told CNN-News18. Education specialists believe that the continuously vacant positions and politically motivated appointments threaten prospective long-term damage to research production, the welfare of students, and global stature. In the face of rising pressures, Gogoi has been urging open appointments, accountable governance, and intervention to maintain stability in central universities in the Northeast to prevent additional damage.