Shillong, Apr 29 (UNI) Meghalaya Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers vacated from North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Shillong campus late Monday night after varsity’s authorities wrote to state authorities to withdraw the security personnel to restore normalcy in the campus, an official said on Tuesday.
On Monday, over 100 security personnel were deployed in NEHU in a bid to ensure normalcy following the arrest of North Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) President, Sandy Sohtun on charges of assaulting an Assistant Professor Alok Singh of Hindi department of NEHU last week.
Vice-Chancellor in-charge NEHU, Prof. Sherwin May Sungoh was forced to write to Additional District Magistrate of East Khasi Hills for immediate withdrawal of security personnel from the campus after the agitated students called for an indefinite class boycott if the security personnel don’t vacate the campus.
“Considering the prevailing situation in NEHU Shillong Campus, at the same time to prevent any untoward incident it is requested to remove the police personnel from inside the campus and station them outside gate no 2,” Sungoh stated in her letter.
“The NEHU security personnel will be patrolling in and around the campus and if any problem arises the state police will be informed immediately,” she added.
A Meghalaya Police official confirmed that security personnel had vacated NEHU campus following request from the Vice-Chancellor.
Meanwhile, Sohtun was produced before a local court on Monday and sent to seven days' judicial custody.
Sohtun was arrested based on a FIR filed by Singh. In his FIR, Singh had accused the President of NEHUSU and five others accomplices for assaulting him inside his office on April 24.
He further alleged that the attackers physically assaulted him and threatened to kill him by holding a scissor to his neck.
Police said an investigation has been launched and all the others allegedly involved in the assault would also be arrested.
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