By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 4: The controversy over the MBBS seats declared under the state quota has put the Meghalaya government in a spot.
Some leaders of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), which has doubted the credentials of nine MBBS candidates, met with Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Monday to register their opposition to the selection.
Leaders of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) had met with Lyngdoh on the matter earlier.
The minister told reporters after the meeting with the KSU that the state would have a revised list of selected candidates after the Centre on Sunday night announced two more medical seats for the state.
“The deputy commissioners concerned were asked to verify the documents of the applicants after the KSU doubted the credentials of some of the applicants. The list was announced based on the verification,” she said.
The list would be re-verified as the KSU is not satisfied with the verification done, she added.
The KSU has been asked to submit a formal complaint, Lyngdoh said.
She said the government is ensuring that each applicant signs an undertaking that his or her seat would be revoked if any document is found to be doctored.
However, the state is not in a position to further delay the allotment of seats as the students have already been issued a deadline by the medical institutes to join at the earliest.
Lyngdoh asserted that the government would not withhold the entire list and the selected candidates would be allowed to claim their seats. But they would have to give up their seats if they fail the re-verification, she said.
KSU general secretary Donald Thabah said some applicants with doubtful citizenship were selected for the MBBS seats from the state quota.
He said one of the eligibility criteria for applying for an MBBS seat is that the applicant must have a permanent resident certificate. But nine of them submitted only their provisional PRC, which is valid for either three or 12 months, he said.