Reservation Scam in Madhya Pradesh! Tribal Candidates Denied Fair Share in Ayurvedic Compounder Recruitment

Bhopal-  Serious allegations have surfaced once again regarding irregularities in reservation policies during government recruitments in Madhya Pradesh. Candidates from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category have accused the Employee Selection Board (ESB) of tampering with reservation norms in the Group-5 Paramedical Staff Direct Recruitment 2022 for the post of Ayurvedic Compounder (Ayush Department) under Post Code 13.

The aggrieved candidates claim that the mandatory reservation roster was violated, depriving tribal candidates of their rightful opportunities.

Reservation Policy Ignored

As per Madhya Pradesh’s reservation policy, Scheduled Tribes (ST) are entitled to 20% and Scheduled Castes (SC) to 16% reservation. However, in this recruitment drive, the Ayush Department allocated only 17% seats to ST candidates while giving SC candidates 19%—directly snatching opportunities from tribal aspirants.

Manipulation in Seat Allocation

A total of 174 posts were to be filled for Ayurvedic Compounder positions.

• ST candidates should have received 35 seats (20%), but were given only 30 (17%).

• SC candidates, entitled to 27 seats (16%), were allotted 32 (19%).

This 3% reduction in ST quota and extra allocation to SC not only violates constitutional principles but also goes against the state’s reservation policy.

Affected candidates allege that due to this manipulation, many deserving ST candidates who qualified on merit were pushed to the waiting list, jeopardizing their careers.

Despite multiple complaints to Ayush Department, Chief Minister’s Office, Leader of Opposition, MP State ST Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes no corrective action has been taken.

ST Commission Headless for 3 Years

Adding to the injustice, the MP State Scheduled Tribes Commission currently has no appointed chairman or members. It is being run by an administrator (a government officer), who lacks the authority to take strict action against departments. This has weakened tribal representation and accountability.

Sukman Bhatti, a candidate from Chhindwara, told The Mooknayak:
"The Ayush Department has cheated ST candidates. We were entitled to 20% reservation, but only 17% was given. Meanwhile, SC candidates got 19% instead of 16%. This is a clear injustice."

He further alleged that despite complaints to all authorities, no hearing has been conducted, raising suspicions of deliberate delays to suppress the issue.

Candidates claim the department is only conducting document verification as a formality to show progress, but no appointment letters have been issued yet. This has fueled fears that the process is being stalled intentionally.

Sources suggest that errors in recruitment may be intentional to create disputes, ensuring the process remains incomplete due to court cases or complaints.

The Mooknayak tried contacting MP Ayush Minister Inder Singh Parmar for clarification, but he remained unavailable.