CCTOA accuses Assam institutions of converting reserved seats to general, warns statewide stir

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisation of Assam (CCTOA) has accused educational institutions of violating India’s reservation policy by allegedly converting reserved seats into unreserved ones, and warned of a statewide agitation if such practices are not stopped.

Addressing the media on Thursday, CCTOA Chief Coordinator Aditya Khakhlari said the constitutional objective of reservation is to ensure social justice for marginalized communities, address historical discrimination, and provide adequate representation in education, employment and public institutions. He said the policy was introduced to remedy centuries of exclusion, caste-based discrimination and denial of opportunities to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Khakhlari alleged that anti-reservation forces across the country are weakening the reservation system by depriving marginalized communities of their constitutional rights. Referring to admissions at the National Law University in Maharashtra, he claimed that 12 out of 23 seats reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates in the Ph.D. programme were converted into unreserved seats on the grounds of “None Found Suitable,” despite the availability of eligible candidates.

He alleged that such actions are contrary to the spirit of reservation laws and are aimed at preventing members of reserved communities from becoming researchers, professors, lawmakers and judicial officers in the future. CCTOA demanded that the Central Government immediately stop the practice of de-reserving seats and warned of a statewide movement if the alleged discrimination continues.

The organisation also raised similar allegations in Assam. It claimed that Cotton University converted six reserved Ph.D. seats into general category seats in the admission list published on July 10. According to CCTOA, the seats included one for SC candidates, two for ST candidates and three for OBC candidates, thereby depriving eligible candidates from reserved categories of opportunities in higher education and research.

CCTOA further alleged that Bishnuram Medhi Law College violated reservation norms by de-reserving one seat meant for Scheduled Tribe (Plains) candidates and two seats meant for Scheduled Tribe (Hills) candidates and admitting unreserved category students instead. The organisation claimed that eligible tribal candidates had already secured admission to those seats but were later displaced in favour of unreserved candidates.

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