ENCSU surprised by Edu. director’s statement

Dimapur, Nov. 29 (EMN): The Eastern Nagaland College Students’ Union (ENCSU) in a press statement issued by the its president, M Longre Chang and general secretary, Wangnei C Jessuhu, stated that they are not in a position to acknowledge the ‘piteous’ press statement issued on Nov. 29 by the director of Higher Education. “The ENCSU is surprised to see the press statement from the department clarifying and justifying their stand at this hour when the department itself is under investigation by the SIT constituted by the state highest decision making bench (Cabinet) to probe against the “misuse of scholarship”, the release stated. The ENCSU said that the union can confidently conclude that the statement is directly against the decision of the Cabinet and an attempt to prejudice the SIT investigation process. “The union is also appalled by the statement of the Director as to how she could make callous statement like “the suspicion of misuse of the money should be removed from your mind” when the Cabinet in its meeting had admitted in black and white about the misuse of scholarship 2016-17 and subsequently constituted the SIT to probe into the matter,” the release stated. The ENCSU said the department should refrain from justifying and unconvincing statement time and again but to wait patiently for the SIT report till the final judgement arrived. It also stated that the department is also not only accountable to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs but also to the thousands of innocent Naga students. The ENCSU also wondered as to what made the department to unnecessarily drag the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) for not attending the joint meeting called by the Nagaland University Students’ Union (NUSU) on Nov. 27, when it has not invited ENSF and ENCSU officially but through sudden phone calls only. The ENCSU also said it is not the obligation of the federation to attend such meetings and informed that the ENCSU had intentionally refrained from the said meeting respecting the SIT constituted by the Cabinet. “The ENCSU anticipates the representative(s) from the Cabinet at i.e. 30-11-2017 meeting convened by the Secretary, Higher Education since the meeting is a directive from the Chief Minister,” the releases stated. The ENCSU also warned the government and the department that the union will resume their temporarily suspended agitation, if they fail to respond positively on Nov. 30.