ATSUM calls for 12-hour bandh in hill districts of Manipur on April 4

The All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) has called for a 12-hour bandh from 6 am to 6 pm on Tuesday, April 4 in all the hill districts of Manipur, in the wake of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) authority’s failure to rectify the reservation discrepancies and failure to nullify the Lower Division Clerk (LDC) result.
In a press statement, ATSUM said that the “RIMS authority had deliberately feigned ignorance of the DoPT’s OM for a reservation quantum of 34% for ST. Since 2005, the tribal people have been deprived of their rightful share in every job recruitment at RIMS.”
The move comes after the RIMS administration ignored the reservation norms in the direct recruitment to Group C and Group D posts, despite repeated pleas for streamlining the reservation norms in direct recruitment in accordance with the rule of law.
The reservation quantum for SC, ST, and OBC in the case of Manipur State in regard to direct recruitment for Group C and Group D posts in central institutions was fixed at 3% for SC, 34% for ST, and 13% for OBC, respectively.
However, defying the Department of Personnel and Training, advertisements for the recruitment of 134 MTS and 9 LDC posts were notified by RIMS on January 16, 2021, and June 1, 2019, respectively.
Following which, ATSUM lodged a complaint with the RIMS authority, the concerned ministry, and NCST for streamlining the reservation norms in line with DoPT OM.
The RIMS authority then revised the reservation roster in respect of 134 posts at MTS, as 67 posts for UR, 4 posts for SC, 46 posts for ST, and 17 posts for OBC, respectively.
However, the incumbent RIMS administration, in gross violation of the known reservation norms, declared the results for the appointment of 9 LDC posts at RIMS on March 3, 2023.
The demands of ATSUM include:

1. Nullification of the declaration of results for appointment of LDC, RIMS dated 3rd March 2023
2. 2. Appropriate action against the erring RIMS administration in accordance with prevailing laws and the putting on hold of appointments and DPC of other staff until the reservation of ST, SC, and OBC is streamlined.
   All emergency services are exempted from the purview of the bandh.
   ATSUM has appealed to the public for cooperation and understanding during the course of the agitation.