One Nagaland government employee terminated following ASU protest

KOHIMA — The Angami Students’ Union (ASU) staged a protest on Thursday, against the appointment of non-indigenous inhabitants of the district to Grade-IV positions within district offices under the Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) Department.

The protest, held outside the H&FW Directorate in Kohima, was prompted by RTI reply that at least 26 such appointments had been made at the NHAK, with one as recent as February 15, 2024 in the Kohima Chief medical Officer’s establishment, despite the student body’s appeals to protect the rights of indigenous inhabitants.

The ASU’s demand is based on a 2017 memorandum from the P&AR office which stated that, “All direct recruitment vacancies in Grade-IV posts in District offices of the Departments shall be filled up by the indigenous inhabitants of the respective District”. ASU general secretary Vimeyiekho Vitso told reporters that the RTI reply revealed that no appointments were made after 2018. However, inside sources indicated otherwise.

The student body met with the then principal director as well as the chief secretary on separate occasions to ensure the rights of the indigenous inhabitants. Additionally, they took the issue to the press but the matter was not look into, he said.

Besides the two offices, “there are many more (such appointments) and we are yet to accumulate them”, he added.

He said the student body have been filing RTIs in various departments as it had come to their knowledge that many departments were appointing non-indigenous inhabitants to grade IV posts.

Stating that district offices of all other departments within Angami areas should ensure that no rights of the indigenous inhabitants are deprived, Vitso said the student body is collecting information.

“After collecting all these data, we are going to come hard on all the concerned departments. Today’s demonstration should be in an example and a lesson to the other departments that ASU is no longer going to remain silent on this matter,” he said.

Vice president of ASU, Diezevisie Nakhro, expressed concern over the possibility of numerous departments overlooking the rights of indigenous inhabitants by appointing non-indigenous individuals to Grade-IV positions.

Stating that these positions are important for students who may not qualify for competitive exams, he said, “If we don’t fight now, there will be nothing left tomorrow.”

ASU president, Khriesamhalie David Mere, said they have locked the directorate office’s gate to show their resentment for depriving indigenous inhabitants of their rights.

One grade IV staff terminated

Following the protest, the ASU reportedly met with the Commissioner and Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, V Kezo, who took immediate action by terminating the service of the grade-IV staff (handyman) in the establishment of the Chief Medical Officer, Kohima, who was appointed on Feb. 15. 

“The letter of even No. 84 dated 15th February 2024, conveying administrative approval for the appointment of Shri Haushen P. Sukhaphang as Handyman in the establishment of the Chief Medical Officer, Kohima, against the retirement vacancy of Shri Mayangmanen Ao, is hereby withdrawn, since it is in contravention of OM No. AR-3/Gen-174/2007(Pt) dated 26th October 2017 issued by the P&AR Department,” stated the order issued by the official.

Accordingly, the appointment shall stand terminated with effect from the date of issue of this order, it added.

Based on this action, the ASU decided to keep its protest in abeyance.

In a separate letter to the president of ASU, the commissioner and secretary stated that the department would immediately begin examination of the allegations of appointment of non-indigenous inhabitants in NHAK as well as the allegation of diversion of posts from NHAK to NIMSR within a period of two weeks, and necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the rights of the indigenous inhabitants of Kohima district are fully protected.

Instructions were also issued to prevent future violations of the 2017 memorandum.