Imphal, May 15 2009: All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has called a 12-hour general strike in all the five hill districts of Manipur from 6 am till 6 p.m of May 18 against the alleged failure of AD Singh, director of the Jawahar Lal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) for a positive response to ATSUM's demand for reservation of 10 seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates in the recent appointments to JNIMS for various vacancies.

The ATSUM however informed the strike would exempt all educational institutions and department.

Nevertheless, the students' body called on all students and those vehicles transporting them to wear black badges as a sign of protest.

The ATSUM will discuss further course of action after the bandh, it stated.

President of the students' body Thomas Taishya alleged that the director of JNIMS was not true to his words after having stated that STs be given the advantage in appointments to government posts or services as per the Manipur Gazette, roster points in appointment if the employment was on tenure or contract basis.

But now the director asserted that demands of the ATSUM could not be entertained as the appointments are on tenure and contract basis, added the president.

As per employment advertisement for appointments to the various posts at JNIMS, there are 10 posts for professors, 13 for associate professors, 23 for assistant professors and 33 for senior residents.

However, no STs could apply for the above three posts due to qualification short comings but did apply for senior residents, informed Thomas who lamented that no reservation was made for the ST in that particular category.

Further demanding 31 percent reservations at any circumstance at JNIMS, the president asserted the matter be produced at the Manipur State legislative assembly where the ST reservation be modified, amended and passed.

He also demanded that ST reservation be made in tenure or contract basis and added the issue of reservation be brought up in the coming state assemblies.

The president of ATSUM also informed as per employment advertisements of JNIMS dated January 30, 2009 and February 1, 2009 on The Sangai Express newspaper, English edition there was no reservation for the ST.

In this regard, the ATSUM sent a letter to the director requesting him not to recruit until certain of their demands were met.

However, the director paid no heed and selected only five STs on merit basis, stated Thomas, president of ATSUM.

He also alleged that director was not true to his words when the student body met him on February 14 wherein the director stated the ATSUMs demands could not be entertained as the appointments were on tenure or contract basis.

Source:The Sangai Express /NNS