IMPHAL, Sept 7: The Tribal Students’ Federation, Manipur while extending solidarity to the existing agitation launched by the students of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University and Research Centre, (IGNTU-RC), Manipur threatened to intensify the agitations if the state government fails to fulfills demands of the tribal students bodies.
According to a release of federation, the IGNTU-RC Manipur was established as outcome of the agitation launched by the Manipur University Tribal Students Union (MUTSU) and All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) supported by various other Tribal organizations on the issue of reservation in appointment and admission in Manipur University. In an agreement arrived at between Human Resource Development government of India and the representatives of the Tribal Students Leaders.
This Regional campus of IGNTU was a separate university for tribal of Manipur having its aim and objectives to provide avenues of higher education and research facilities primarily for the tribal population of India, to disseminate and advance knowledge by providing instructional and research facilities in tribal art, culture, tradition, language, medicinal system, custom, forest based economic activities, flora fauna and advancement in technologies, relating to the natural resources of the tribal areas, to collaborate with national and international universities or organizations specially for the undertaking cultural studies and research on tribal populations, to formulate tribal centric development models, publish report and monograph and organize conference seminars on issues relating to tribal and to provide inputs to policy matter in different spheres, to take appropriate measure for promoting, the members of tribal community capable of managing, administering and looking after their own needs by access to higher education through a university of their own, to disseminate and advance knowledge by providing instructional and research facilities in such other branches of learning as it may deem fit.
The release further mentioned that, inspite of these good objectives Prof. CD Singh, a non tribal who has little knowledge about the tribal was appointed as Vice-Chancellor. As such, no developmental works, no other infrastructure have been started even if the state government had handed over a land of 300 acres at Makhan village to VC himself during last year.
The release charged that not even a temporary arrangement for running classes was made at the temporary side at Adimjati complex, Imphal, since the opening of Regional campus in Manipur. Apart from this, his reservation policy in the recruitment and admission found to be a complete Anti-tribal. There is a great resentment against the recently conducted recruitment for faculty and most qualified among the candidates as per UGC norms and demanded for declaration of the recruitment as void and null.
It is also mentioned that, on top that, several discrepancies are found in his administration to this Regional campus. This situation compelled the students of IGNTU-RC Manipur to launch an indefinite agitation against the existing VC. The apex tribal students organization such as TSFM, ZSUM, TKLI, KSO as per the decision taken in its joint meeting held on August 30 last month decided to extend their support to the agitations of students union of IGNTU-RC Manipur demanding, the reservation policy in matter of appointment/ recruitment and admission to all classes, 99% should be made to tribal communities of Manipur, the office Asst. Sunita Devi should be terminated from her service immediately for her anti-tribal activities in all University matter starting with, first appointment of the Regional campus was made to her (General Category) whereas the university was set up solely for the tribal communities of the state, her responsible for providing all negative and fabricated information against the tribal to the University’s head quarter at, Amarkantak and having no professional integrity and she is the first to get all official correspondence, information by passing the OSD who is the head of campus, the release added.
The tribal student bodies also demanding immediate construction of infrastructures of IGNTU-RC Manipur at Makhan and resignation of present VC from the post on moral ground, the release added.
