KSU stages indefinite protest against NEIGRIHMS failure to fulfill demands relating to job recruitment

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 1, 2025

The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Thursday began its indefinite sit-in-demonstration in front of the administrative block of the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) as a mark of protest against the failure of the institute to fulfill the various demands, which include the implementation of the 80:20 female-male ratio.

“We will not move out of NEIGRIHMS. This protest will continue until all demands are met. So, we are waiting for the Director to take necessary action on the matter,” chairman of the KSU employment cell Reuben Najiar told reporters.

He informed that the director has deputed his deputy to speak to the union but “we have refused to meet him because we will not move from here till the director himself give us the assurance that all our demands will be fulfilled as soon as possible.”

Najiar said that the union has been demanding the immediate implementation of the 80:20 female-male ratio, age limit, setting up of examination centres in Meghalaya, and others relating to job recruitment policy in the institute, which at present is against the interest of the tribal people and which seeks to benefit people from other communities to get employment in NEIGRIHMS.

“We have also met the MPs of Meghalaya, who immediately had also written to NEIGRIHMS for resolving the issue. However, NEIGRIHMS director is adamant and he is putting the blame on the health ministry but we have ample evidence to show that the ministry does not have a full participation on this as it depends on the governing council of the NEIGRIHMS. 

So, NEIGRIHMS with the permission of the governing council can fulfill all the demands made by the union. But unfortunately the director is adamant in this regard which prompted the union to come here to stage an indefinite protest,” he stated.

According to him, despite the last date for submission of application as per the advertisement was on April 28, the director of the institute has failed to fulfill all demands.

“If they go forward with this recruitment, it will affect the institute and health sector because the proportion of male nurses is exceeding the female nurses. This will have a major impact. If these female nurses have retired there will be no more female nurses but only male nurses in NEIGRIHMS. There is no logic behind such recruitment,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the protest is being held amid tight security.