STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam Tea Tribe Students' Association (ATTSA) staged a sit-in demonstration at Chachal here on Tuesday demanding the government to reveal the names of the candidates who allegedly occupied the seats reserved for tea tribe students in the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) and BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) courses for the year 2020-21.
In a release, ATTSA president DhirajGowala and general secretary PawanBedia lamented that the reserved seats in various departments for the tea tribes and former tea workers are being occupied by a section of people by making fake caste certificates.
Demanding strict punishment for the 'suspected candidates', the ATTSA demanded the government to issue caste certificates of the tea tribe in a corruption free and transparent manner.
"For the year 2020-21, 21 seats have been reserved for MBBS and BDS courses. However, 12 of those seats were occupied by people not belonging from the tea tribe," Gowala alleged.
On November 14, the ATTSA members met Health Minister HimantaBiswaSarma and appealed to him to inspect the matter and bar suspected candidates from taking admission in government colleges.
"On November 16, the Directorate of Medical Education issued a stay order on the admission of reserved seats for tea tribes. Like every year, this year the Directorate of Tea Tribes Welfare has started to re-examine the caste certificate of the 12 suspected candidates," Gowala underlined.
Expressing disappointment, he said the tea tribe candidates have become mentally weak as they are being deprived of reserved seats.