STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The All Assam Minorities Students' Union (AAMSU) has sought the intervention of President Droupadi Murmu on a range of issues concerning constitutional rights, electoral participation, land rights, education, environmental protection and communal harmony in Assam.
In a memorandum addressed to the President, the organisation raised concerns over administrative and electoral practices that it alleged had affected the rights, livelihoods and democratic participation of people, particularly minority communities. It urged the President to facilitate appropriate action by the Union and Assam governments and the competent constitutional authorities.
AAMSU called for the issuance of National Identity Cards to people included in the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) and an appeal mechanism for those excluded from the register. It also sought an end to arbitrary and selective evictions, stressing the need for due process, adequate notice, verification of land rights and protection of vulnerable families.
The organisation demanded a transparent and non-discriminatory policy for granting land pattas to eligible landless families, along with rehabilitation, alternative accommodation or land and compensation for eligible evicted families in accordance with applicable laws and policies. It also called for administrative actions to comply with Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution, wherever applicable.
On electoral matters, AAMSU sought a time-bound review of pending cases involving voters classified as doubtful voters, or D-voters, alleging that thousands of genuine citizens had remained in the category since 1997 and had been deprived of voting rights for decades.
The memorandum also called for an independent examination of the delimitation exercise in Assam, citing concerns over minority political representation in the Assembly and the Lok Sabha. It sought an audit of deletions and exclusions during the Special Revision of electoral rolls conducted shortly before the last Assembly election, alleging that eligible voters, particularly minorities and evicted families, might have faced disproportionate exclusion.
AAMSU urged the authorities to ensure transparent grievance redressal and take action wherever unlawful exclusion was established. It also called for prompt and impartial legal action against hate speech, communal incitement, threats and violence, including incidents on social media, in accordance with applicable laws and Supreme Court directions.
On education, the organisation sought expedited, transparent and merit-based recruitment to vacant posts of associate professors in government and provincialised colleges and postgraduate teachers in higher secondary schools. It highlighted faculty shortages in educationally disadvantaged areas and their impact on the conduct of the seventh- and eighth-semester courses under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP).
The memorandum also called for increasing undergraduate seat capacity in existing colleges, introducing additional courses where feasible and establishing new colleges to improve access to higher education.