Maharashtra lifts 30-year age bar on tribal hostels after Rahul Gandhi’s letter

Tribal development minister Ashok Uike said the decision will benefit students after protests over humiliating rules and unsafe conditions in hostels.

The Maharashtra government has decided to withdraw its decision to cap the age limit at 30 years for tribal students seeking admission to government-run hostels. This was announced by the state tribal development minister Ashok Uike on Tuesday.

Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi addresses the gathering during the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' program, in Pune on Saturday. (ANI)

The decision comes a day after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging him to intervene over concerns raised by tribal students regarding the age restriction, as well as allegations of humiliating rules for women and unsafe hostel facilities. Gandhi had raised the issue on the back of tribal students staying on hunger strike for the past 12 days, and dashed off the letter to the chief minister in response to concerns raised by tribal student Nisha Sable during his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign in Pune on Saturday.

Students have been on the hunger strike at the Adivasi Government Boys Hostel, near the border of Hadapsar and Manjari, in Pune.

Before making the announcement, on Tuesday, Uike convened a meeting of tribal MLAs and MPs – irrespective of their political affiliations -- to discuss issues raised by the students. “The age limit for admission to government hostels will be removed henceforth. This was an important issue, and the decision will benefit students,” Uike said. “I had a discussion with representatives of the protesting students and assured them that the 30-year age limit would be removed.”

The age bar was introduced on August 14 by the tribal development department on students seeking admission to government-run hostels for the tribal community. This was the first time that such a mandate was enforced, following which protesting students had demanded that the age limit be raised by at least five years.

In his letter to Fadnavis on Monday, alleging that government-run hostels are unsafe and often lack adequate food, sanitation and medical care, Gandhi underlined how shocked he was to learn that female students returning after an extended absence were subjected to mandatory pregnancy tests and other medical examinations to establish their “fitness”.

“It is a humiliation that presumes them guilty until proven otherwise. This rule is an attack on their dignity and their humanity,” Gandhi said in the letter, which he posted on social media.

Uike however denied the allegation that female students were subjected to mandatory pregnancy tests. “No pregnancy tests were conducted, and no such tests will be conducted in the future. They are our daughters, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” he said, adding, “No one has the right to make such statements about our daughters and sisters.”

Meanwhile, tribal students have refused to call off their hunger strike, insisting that the government address their other demands as well. Nisha Sable, who is participating in the protest, said, “There are several other important demands on which the government gave no assurance. We want the recruitment to 12,500 vacant positions related to the tribal development department, a compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of three tribal girls who died of snake bites at an ashram school in Gadchiroli, among several others.”

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also urged the state government to accept the students’ demands within two days, failing which he said Gandhi could join the agitation.

“We have already requested Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of Opposition, to support the protest. If the issues are not resolved in the next two days and if he decides to come and extend his support to the protest, then it will cost the state government dearly,” Pawar said, while addressing tribal students at the protest site.