By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 14: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Tuesday questioned the promotion of six government officials, working in various government departments, to the rank of Meghalaya Civil Services (MCS).
Referring to the notification issued on August 9 regarding the promotion, KSU Employment Monitoring Cell chairman Reuben Najiar stated that the union holds no personal animosity against the promoted officers and wishes them well. However, Najiar expressed concerns about the process.
“We would like to question the Personnel & AR department as to why individuals working in different fields are being promoted to the civil services. Is it ethically and morally right to do so? Does this not promote nepotism?” Najiar wrote in a letter addressed to the Personnel & AR department Secretary, CV Diengdoh.
He further remarked that if anyone can be promoted to MCS rank, there seems to be little justification for conducting MCS examinations. “We demand that the concerned department clarify the selection process of these candidates, including the grounds and contributions that made them eligible for such a promotion,” Najiar said.
Meanwhile, Najiar referred to an advertisement issued on September 19 for the post of ‘Guitar Instructor’ at the State Institute of Arts and Culture. He noted that only one position was advertised, and it was allotted to the Garo category.
He pointed out that the total strength for Guitar Instructor posts at the institute is two, with one already filled by a Garo candidate. “By default, the newly advertised position should be for the Khasi-Jaintia category, especially after the retirement of a Khasi employee. However, this has not been the case,” Najiar stated.
He blamed the Personnel & AR department for misrepresenting the roster system by applying it retroactively, in contradiction to the government’s earlier assurances that it would be applied prospectively. “We strongly condemn and object to this act, which deprives the Khasi community of its rightful representation. We demand immediate rectification,” Najiar added.
The KSU also raised concerns about 27 positions — including Scientific Officer, Senior Scientific Assistant, and Scientific Assistant — in the Mobile Forensic Crime Scene Unit under the Directorate of Forensic Science, advertised in the same notice.
Najiar claimed that the Directorate deviated from the Meghalaya Forensic Science Laboratory Services Rules, 2021, by limiting eligibility to degree holders in forensic science. According to him, the rules allow students from any science stream to apply, which is a standard followed by other forensic labs across the country.
The KSU had already addressed this issue to the Director of Forensic Science, but no clarification has been provided. “We warn that the recruitment must follow the existing rules and should not be manipulated by any officials to favor specific candidates,” Najiar emphasized.
The KSU has demanded that the advertisements for both the Guitar Instructor and forensic science positions be canceled and rectified, allowing eligible candidates to apply, while also addressing the concerns raised by the union regarding the MCS promotions.