Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, Jul 11: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) on Saturday strongly opposed the proposed inclusion of the Kachari community residing in Namsai and Changlang districts in the Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) list and urged the State government to cancel a consultative meeting scheduled for July 13 in Itanagar.
Addressing a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club, AAPSU president Meje Taku termed the proposed move "unacceptable" and called on the government to immediately withdraw the meeting.
He warned that if the meeting is not cancelled, the union would lock the gates of the Civil Secretariat as part of its democratic protest and hold the State government responsible for any consequences arising from the agitation.
Taku also urged the government to expedite action on AAPSU's 13-point charter of demands. These include abolition of the 80:20 recruitment reservation ratio, mandatory production of Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) and APST certificates in government recruitment and Panchayat elections, a permanent solution to the Chakma-Hajong issue, measures to prevent illegal immigration, completion of the Assam-Arunachal boundary demarcation, enactment of anti-racism legislation, establishment of additional CUET examination centres, resolution of visa-related issues, and creation of a designated democratic protest ground in Itanagar.
The student body further appealed to the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) and the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) not to issue fresh recruitment advertisements until the issue of the 80:20 recruitment reservation policy is resolved or withdrawn.