The All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) has levelled serious allegations of nepotism, corruption and manipulation in the recruitment of Assistant Professors at the Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal, accusing the university’s competent authority of altering the selection process to favour a select group of candidates.
In a statement issued by its Secretary General Salam Changkhonba, AMSU alleged that the university authorities had violated the provisions of the CAU Ordinance, 2023, by arbitrarily changing the recruitment procedure midway without issuing any corrigendum or amendment to the original advertisements.
The union pointed out that Advertisement Nos. 2/2025 and 4/2025, issued for recruitment to 57 Assistant Professor (Level-10) posts across various disciplines, had clearly specified that selection would be conducted through presentation, seminar, interview, or a combination of these methods. However, in a notification issued on June 2, 2026, the university allegedly introduced a written examination for candidates in only 12 disciplines, while candidates in the remaining 45 disciplines were to be selected solely through interviews.
Questioning the rationale behind adopting different recruitment procedures for posts of the same level and category, AMSU alleged that the move was designed to extend undue advantage to preferred candidates.
The student body further alleged that another notification issued on June 23, 2026, inviting fresh applications for Assistant Professor posts in Genetics & Plant Breeding and Vegetable Science, again prescribed interview as the only mode of selection, exposing what it described as glaring inconsistencies in the recruitment process.
Describing the sequence of notifications as evidence of administrative arbitrariness, AMSU alleged that the university authorities had repeatedly altered recruitment norms to suit vested interests, thereby compromising transparency and merit.
The union also criticised the issuance of another notification on June 27, 2026, keeping the recruitment process in abeyance, stating that the repeated changes had created uncertainty, disrupted academic and administrative functioning, and tarnished the credibility of the university.
Demanding immediate corrective measures, AMSU called for the recruitment process to be conducted strictly in accordance with the original advertisements and the provisions of the CAU Ordinance, 2023. It also demanded the cancellation of the notifications issued on June 2 and June 23, along with the withdrawal of the June 27 notification.
Warning of further action, AMSU said that if the competent authority fails to rectify the alleged irregularities, the matter will be taken up with the Visitor of the University, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and the Chancellor. The union also announced that it would closely monitor all ongoing recruitment processes in the university to ensure fairness and accountability.
