Imphal, August 28 2017: Manipur University Tribal Students’ Union (MUTSU) under the aegis of All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) locked the A-Block of Manipur University today demanding 31 pc reservation for ST students in admission to various courses in the university.
In a statement, MUTSU said that the A-Block would be locked indefinitely until justice is delivered to the tribals .
MU authority should declare the entrance test results of various departments which do not strictly follow the Court order of Aug 21 on reservation issue and all departments should stop admission process .
It also accused MU authority of deliberately discriminating/violating the rights of the tribal students regarding reservation of seats in admission since the university was converted into a Central university in 2005 .
MUTSU also accused the MU authority of manipulating the quantum of reservation by giving 20-22 pc of reservation to STs .
Asserting that tribals constitute about 43/44 pc of the total population of Manipur, MUTSU said that tribals deserve to get even more than 31 pc reservation in admission at MU .
It urged all concerned to join hands in the fight for justice to the tribals .
Later, All Tribal Student Union, Manipur (ATSUM) served a 48 hour ultimatum to the Manipur University authority demanding that they follow the High Court directives and the Central Educational Institution Reservation Act, 2012 with regard to the admission process .
The apex tribal students’ body warned of resorting to sever forms of agitation if the Manipur University authority does not oblige to its demand .
Speaking to media persons at their office in Imphal today, ATSUM general secretary Seiboi Haokip demanded that the admission process should be put in abeyance until such time that the results declared for the academic session 2017-2018 are rectified to the guidelines and reservation norms of the Central Government .
“We are peeved at the brazen defiance of the Manipur University authority for its failure to comply with the directives of the High Court of Manipur and the Central Educational Institution Reservation Act, 2012, with regard to the admission process”, the ATSUM general secretary expressed.
He then asked the varsity authority to address the issue within 48 hours or else the student body will be forced to resort to severe forms of agitation .
Articulating its strong opposition to the alleged perpetual defiance on the part of the Manipur University authority since the upgradation of the varsity to a Central University status, Seiboi Haokip pointed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on November 7, 2016 where both the parties agreed to adhere the Central Education Institution (reservation in admission) Act which stipulates 31 percent reservation for the Schedule Tribe.
This MoU had prompted ATSUM to end its month long agitation .
“But the recently announced admission lists in the various departmental entrance test results explicitly indicated that most of the departments except Economics and English departments have overtly defied the Central Act as well as they have failed to honour the spirit of the MoU signed between ATSUM and university authority”, Seiboi Haokip pointed out .
The ATSUM leader then recalled that tribal student organisations under the banner of ATSUM had launched an intense agitation last year which dragged on for months leading to loss of many academic days for the students all for the recalcitrance on the part of Manipur University authority .
Further, the Manipur University authority shall solely be held responsibly for all the loss of academic days in the event of an agitation launched by ATSUM, he warned .
Meanwhile, the Manipur University tribal students protested in Manipur University campus today demanding to put the admission process in abeyance till their demands are met .
On August 23, the Manipur University admission test results were declared for various departments.
Source: The Sangai Express
