Nagaland: Protest intensifies over 'backdoor' regularisation

Protestors outside the directorate of Higher Education on Thursday. (EM Images)

• KOHIMA — The protest against the ‘backdoor’ regularisation of 147 contract assistant professors and librarians entered the second day on Thursday outside the directorate of Higher Education, Kohima.
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• The protesters, led by Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) and Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF), have been demanding that the state government revoke its December 17, 2024, order that had absorbed/regularised the contract appointees under the department of Higher Education.

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• At around 5 pm, a brief confrontation occurred between the protestors and the police after the former refused to move away from the office entrance as the working hour ended. The protestors refused to let the department officials leave their office without meeting them.

Also read: Protesters demand revocation of Nagaland government order on contractual posts

• Following an intervention from the district administration, a representative of the department later addressed the protestors.
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• The joint director said that they are “not the authority” to take decisions on the matter and have therefore forwarded the matter to the higher-ups. He added that the government will take up the matter and decide accordingly.
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• He assured to discuss it with the protestors once they receive a ‘positive’ response from the government. Maintaining that they “understood” the protestors’ problem, he requested them to end their agitation.
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• However, the agitating youth refused to accept the ‘verbal’ statements and demanded it in writing. They decided to continue the agitation outside the office on Monday.
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• Videkhono, a core member of NNQF, said that there will be no vacant posts without revoking the absorption order. “So, our demand is revocation, and unless that is done, our grievances will not be met.”
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• She said the state government is “not following” meritocracy and has not been listening to the people. The ‘oppression’, she said, has reached a certain level where people cannot take it anymore.
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• Kaqheto, co-convenor of CTAN, said that they are neither undermining the quality of the absorbed assistant professors nor their sacrifices. But they are against the recruitment process.
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• “The assistant professor posts should not and must not be absorbed without any exam,” he asserted.
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• CTAN convenor Meshenlo Kath said that they are asking to requisition those appointed after 2016 to the NPSC. “We are not asking them to do something which they cannot,” he remarked.
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• He further added that they decided not to go to the extent of locking the office gate, as they want the protest to be peaceful.
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• On Thursday, some of the protestors also brought along roses—what they termed a sign of “peace” over violence. They later presented some of the roses to the riot police, who came equipped with batons and gear.