By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 6: Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla on Monday said the topper under the Khasi-Jaintia category, Rikor Nongkynrih, has agreed to migrate to the unreserved category of MBBS merit list.
The student, currently placed at serial number 13 in the open category, will now be shifted to serial number 14.
Shylla said the allotment of the MBBS seats is being done according to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
He explained that as per the SOP, students, who scored higher marks (top scorers) under the Khasi-Jaintia category, could still choose to remain within the reserved quota, even if they qualified for the open or unreserved category.
According to the SOP, Shylla said the topper from the Khasi-Jaintia category actually deserves to be placed under the unreserved category since her marks are higher than some of the candidates there.
“However, the SOP clearly states that the choice rests with the candidates — they can choose between the unreserved and reserved categories. Initially, she (Rikor) chose to remain under the Khasi-Jaintia reserved quota, and that’s why, we released the list. But after the organisations expressed their concerns, she called, saying that she was willing to shift to the unreserved category,” he said.
Stating that everyone agreed on the matter during Monday’s meeting, the minister said since the student herself gave her consent, there was no longer any issue from the department’s side. “I believe everything has now been properly settled,” he stated.
Responding to allegations of unfair practices, Shylla said although there were some concerns raised by organisations such as the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and the Jaintia Students’ Union, most of the issues had been already resolved.
The department had released a list of selected students for MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, and BPT courses under the state and central pool quotas on September 30, 2025.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Shylla, KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah said the issue involved two students — Diya Ghosh (NEET score 462) and Tanuska Chakravorty (442) — who were listed in serial numbers 13 and 14 under the open category.
He explained that Rikor, the top candidate from the Khasi-Jaintia category with a NEET score of 475, should rightfully occupy serial number 13 under the open category, as per past practice.
With this change, Diya will move to serial number 14, Thabah added.
“The earlier list was flawed. In previous years, toppers from the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo categories were also included in the open category. This system allowed more opportunities for meritorious students from Meghalaya’s indigenous communities,” Thabah said.
He pointed out that including toppers from the reserved categories in the open list enables students from the waiting list to secure seats in their respective Khasi-Jaintia or Garo categories, ensuring fair representation for all.
The KSU leader raised objections to Clause 9.6 of the SOP, which requires students to opt for either the open or the reserved category, but not both.
“Such a rule restricts students’ chances,” Thabah stated.
He further observed that students would naturally choose the category with a higher seat availability — 40% each for the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo categories — compared to just 15% in the open category, which ultimately disadvantages indigenous students.
Thabah said the KSU demanded the scrapping of Clause 9.6, as it limits students’ opportunities to compete fairly.
Further, he said Shylla and officials agreed to revise the merit list in line with KSU’s demand and review the SOP clause in question.
“We were assured that the government will look into our concerns and make the necessary changes,” he said.
Meanwhile, KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar said the list of students sponsored by the government should be transparent and fair.
He observed that the current list shows that students with lower marks were selected under the open category, which raises serious concerns as it deprives deserving Khasi-Jaintia students who performed well in the exams.
“The list was not prepared in a clean and transparent manner because there are cases where students from outside the state with lower marks were selected, while Khasi-Jaintia students with higher marks were left out of the quota,” he said.
