Shillong: Over 1,000 students of Meghalaya's North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) on Tuesday took out a candle light procession demanding the removal of A.N. Rai as vice-chancellor and appointment of a local academician instead.

The students, under the banner of NEHU Students Union (NEHUSU) and Meghalaya Tribal Students Coordination Committee (MTSCC), have been protesting for a month demanding that a local should head the varsity.

The university, one of India's premier central universities, was set up in 1973.

"The centre has been callous and has not paid attention to our demand. The candle light procession is to pressurize the centre to accept our demand," MTSCC chairman Kynpham Kharlyngdoh said.

The students assembled outside the official residence of Rai shouting slogans.

Rai, a former vice chancellor of Mizoram University, was appointed as the vice chancellor of NEHU after Pramod Tandon completed his tenure on September 12. IANS