The Manipur University Tribal Students’ Union staged a sit in protest in the evening denouncing the university authorities’ failure to implement the Central Educational Institutions Reservation in Admission Amendment Act, 2012.
The sit in protest was staged in front of the university main gate.
Earlier in the morning, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad had staged another sit in protest at the same site against the total shut down of the university over the reservation impasse.
The union president Thangtinlen Haokip alleged the University Academic Council of neglecting the issue and failing to bring a solution in accordance to the High Court of Manipur’s directive on September 2.
“Since we have not received any justice to our demand, we will launch a more intense agitation further to bring justice,” said Thangtinlen.
He further alleged the university authority of conspiring among students belonging to different communities.
Protesters held placards highlighting “31 percent reservation is our right, don’t rob our rights,” “misleading the students is a crime” “no 31 percent no solution no rest” etc.
It may be mentioned that before becoming a Central University in 2005, the Manipur University followed state reservation norms according to which there was a 31 per cent reservation for STs and 2 per cent reservation for SCs. The system was continued till the 2008 academic session.
However, from the 2009-10 academic session, the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act was implemented in the university after it become a central university, which reduced the ST reservation to 7.5 percent and increase the SC reservation to 15 percent and 2 percent reservation for other backward classes.
Following the change, a legal battle ensued before the High Court of Manipur which resulted in the court directing the university to follow the 31 per cent reservation for Scheduled Tribes and two per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes and 17 per cent for OBCs in accordance with the amendment of the Central Educational Institutions Reservation in Admission Act in 2012 and this was followed during the academic sessions 2014-15 and 2015-16.
On the other hand, the UGC directed the university repeatedly to follow the central reservation policy after the state high court issued its directive, which suggested that academic authority wanted the earlier reservation policy to be followed and the academic council of the university decided this year to follow the policy adopted by the UGC.
