Nagaland Law Students’ Federation requests government to revoke service extension of DGP

Dimapur, Sep. 5 (EMN): The Nagaland Law Students’ Federation (NLSF) has appealed to the state government to revoke the service extension of the incumbent Director General of Police (DGP), T John Longkumer, and appoint the most eligible IPS officer from the state cadre to the top post.

Expressing shock over the extension of the incumbent police officer’s service by six more months after the expiry of his “extended deputation” last month, the federation termed the move as “unreasonable, discriminatory and arbitrary”.

In a press release, the NLSF reminded that it had objected when Longkumer, a cadre of Chhattisgarh, was appointed DGP of Nagaland on deputation for three years in 2018 despite not having the 30 years of service that’s needed to be considered for the post.

It went on to say that it assumed the top cop’s deputation and subsequent extension of service from June 2021 to August 2022 was under “extraordinary circumstances and in the best interest of the state”. However, it said the recent extension of his service was unreasonable, while asking if the state government is aware of the Supreme Court’s guidelines on appointment of DGP.

The NLSF stated that depriving the eligible Nagaland cadres of the opportunity to serve as DGP of the state is “ex-facie violative of the constitutional rights and the governing principles of service jurisprudence”.

While expressing its dismay over the functioning of the state government, it said appointing such posts at the whims and fancies of the government will set a bad precedent and lead to anomalies. It went on to say that the state government is responsible for making sure that law and order prevails over irregularities and illegalities.