Shillong ,Oct 6: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has demanded for deletion of Clause 9.6 of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for allotment of MBBS seats under state quota, stating the provision has deprived eligible Khasi-Jaintia students.
The clause requires students, eligible to be selected in unserved/open category, to choose between the open category and the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
Marngar argued that this clause is ambiguous and deprives students of their rightful place in the open category.
“We have urged the government to ensure transparency in the allotment of seats, emphasizing that students with higher marks should be given priority.”
The KSU demand came close on the heels of “anomalies” in the merit list showing meritorious students from ST category not being listed under the open category.
Following a meeting with the minister to discuss the “anomalies”, the KSU has maintained that the minister agreed to “rectify the anomalies” in the list of MBBS seats allotted under state quota.
“The health minister has welcomed the suggestion of Union and we expect them to rectify the list. We do not want to see such irregularities to be repeated in the near future,” KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar told reporters after the meeting on Monday.
He said the union has pointed out that the selection process lacks transparency and meritocracy, with students scoring lower marks being included in the open category while Khasi students with higher scores are overlooked.
“We have witnessed irregularities in the allotment process every year, despite our repeated requests for transparency and meritocracy,” Marngar said.
“It’s concerning that students with lower scores have been included in the open category, potentially depriving deserving Khasi students,” he said.
Marngar informed that the KSU has also questioned the inclusion of Scheduled Castes in the state reservation policy, demanding proof of their inclusion.
“The government has attempted to justify the inclusion of Scheduled Castes in the reservation policy, but we need concrete evidence to support this claim, as it is not publicly known. We will assess their response and decide our next course of action accordingly,” he said.
KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah said the union has also demanded that eight Khasi students who scored higher marks than Tanushka Chakravarty be included in the waiting list for the open category.
Thabah added that Clause 9.6 is problematic, as it forces students to choose between their ST status and the open category, potentially depriving them of their rights.
“Health officials cited Clause 9.6 of the new SOP, which requires students applying for MBBS state quota seats to choose between the open category and the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. However, this provision is problematic, as it forces students to forgo their chance to compete in the open category, which has a limited quota of 15%, compared to 40% reserved for Khasi-Jaintia and Garo students each,” he emphasised.
