SHILLONG:
In a crucial development, the State Government’s Health Department has decided to make adjustments to the list of medical students selected for the courses of Doctor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS), Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS), and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT), which was earlier released on September 30, 2025.
This decision comes after the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) strongly objected to the list, pointing out that many eligible Khasi and Jaintia students were deprived of their rightful seats under the Central Pool quota.
The government, however, is to issue an official revised list.
On Monday, leaders of the KSU central body met with State Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla to discuss the issue concerning the loss of quota seats meant for Khasi-Jaintia students.
Speaking to the media, KSU General Secretary Donald V. Thabah said that the Union’s protest against the list of medical students under the state quota stemmed from the fact that the list was not prepared in a proper and fair manner, as many Khasi-Jaintia students with higher marks failed to secure seats.
“We came to object to a case where a student with lower marks was selected, while other Khasi-Jaintia students with higher marks were not, with the justification being that there is a clause—SOP Clause 9.6—which states that students applying for the MBBS quota must choose either the Open or the ST category,” he said.
Clause 9.6 of the Standard Operating Procedures refers to the allocation rules. It states that in each cycle, one seat per category (if available) is allocated in the defined priority order-
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Each student has to indicate multiple options for the choice of colleges.
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The Colleges will be allocated in each round as per Category, NEET Ranking and availability of the College in that round.
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In case the reserved category candidate who has been selected under open category UR), those candidates will be given the choice of exercising the option of either UR or respective category during the order/process of allocation of seat.
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Counselling shall be conducted by one team only. In each cycle, only the available seats shall be displayed for candidates to exercise their choices, and before every round of counselling a fresh seat matrix shah be prepared, reflecting only the unfulfilled seats from the total quota.
According to the KSU leader, officials have also agreed to revisit Clause 9.6, as the Union considers it to be “like a noose around the necks of students from the state, because it restricts them to choose only between the ST or Open category.”
He further added, “Since most of our students belong to the ST category, they are compelled to apply under ST, while in the Open category only 15% of seats are available compared to 40% for Khasi-Jaintia and 40% for Garo students. Hence, many students do not opt for the Open category as they hope for a larger share under the state quota.”
Thabah further stated that this situation shows a serious flaw in the Health Department’s process, as even in the waiting list, there are eight Khasi-Jaintia students with higher marks than students from outside the state.
“The Union’s demand is that Khasi-Jaintia category students should be included in the waiting list, and at the same time, they should also appear in the Open category waiting list. This will greatly benefit students from the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, KSU President Lambokstarwell Marngar said the list of students sponsored by the government should be transparent and fair. However, 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.
He stated, “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.”
It may be mentioned that the ongoing MBBS seat allotment issue in Meghalaya has stirred widespread debate and protests, especially from the KSU, over alleged irregularities and unfair treatment of local students.
The Health Department had released a list of selected students for MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, and BPT courses under the State and Central Pool quota on September 30, 2025.
