Bhopal: Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Medical College in Vidisha, on October 28, released the list of 52 medical professionals recruited to different positions, including professor, associate professor, assistant professor and demonstrator for different departments in the college. However, none of the appointees are from the reserved categories, that is, SCs and STs. And this has kicked up a storm.
An assistant professor of the college has moved the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, protesting against the college administration not adhering to the reservation norms. Congress MLA Heerlal Alawa has also raised the issue. Bhopal divisional commissioner Kavindra Kiyawat, who heads the governing body of the institute, has taken cognisance of the issue.
The college issued the list of candidates selected for 52 different posts on October 28. The list was based on the interviews conducted on July 26-27. The selected candidates include two professors, 11 associate professors, seven assistant professors and nine demonstrators for dentistry, orthopaedics, anaesthesiology, forensic medicine, microbiology, gynaecology, ophthalmology, surgery, paediatrics, physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, radio diagnosis, forensic medicine and biochemistry departments.
Dr Kamlesh Maurya, an assistant professor in the Surgery department of the college, has complained to the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes alleging that at least 29 posts should have been reserved for SCs and STs. The Commission has written to the state chief secretary and commissioner, medical education, seeking details of the recruitment process, according to Dr Maurya.
On August 16, 2021, Congress MLA Dr Heeralal Alawa wrote to the Governor complaining that the college was not following reservation norms. In response, Manoj Khatri, additional secretary to the Governor wrote to the Dean of the college asking him not to categorise reserved posts as unreserved.
Divisional Commissioner Kavindra Kiyawat told Free Press that the college would issue a revised list of selected demonstrators in keeping with the reservation norms. He also said that if anyone has any objections, he or she should come forward with a formal complaint. "The government will be definitely going to look into it," he said.
College Dean Dr Sunil Nandeshwar told Free Press that the college has forwarded the list of the selected candidates to the higher-ups. "The selected persons include 14 OBCs," he said.
Dr Nandeshwar said that the recruitment was done department-wise and reservation norms were followed. "The total number of posts was not taken into consideration," he said.
