KOHIMA, April 29: Student groups and job aspirants in Nagaland launched protests on Tuesday against the state government’s decision to regularise 147 ad-hoc and contract assistant professors in colleges under the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE).
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), following the expiry of a seven-day deadline, began its first phase of agitation with a march from Naga Solidarity Park to the DHE office, where students staged a sit-in.
Protesters are demanding the revocation of the April 21 order that regularised these appointments, insisting that the posts be filled through open competition via the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) to ensure equal opportunity.
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Over a thousand student volunteers from various NSF units are participating in the protest.
NSF president Medovi Rhi criticised the government’s move, calling it a violation of meritocracy. He said the agitation is against the “unfairness” of the government in regularising the service of the 147 aspirants.
“Fairness is not negotiable but the government has given injustice to the Naga students and aspirants thereby denying opportunity to the hard work of the youngsters,” he said.
This is a pure attack on the very idea of meritocracy, he said, adding “We seek no favour but demand what is rightfully ours.”
Rhi asserted that until and unless justice is delivered NSF would not remain silent.
Meanwhile, the Combined Technical Aspirants Nagaland (CTAN) and Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) also resumed their second phase of agitation protesting the “non-fulfilment” of their demands by the government on the same issue.
CTAN and NNQF leaders and volunteers gathered outside the DHE with their three point demand of revocation of the regularisation order, dissolution of the high-powered committee constituted by the government to investigate the details of the case and also requisition of the 17 posts through competitive exams.
The combined team of CTAN and NNQF had launched an agitation on April 21 but temporarily suspended it on April 25 following the verbal assurance of the Minister for Higher Education to revoke the regularisation order and also dissolve the HPC.
However, they resumed the agitation on Tuesday expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s decision.
On Monday, the state cabinet decided to cut down the duration of the HPC to submit its report from eight weeks to four weeks and also asserted to dig out the facts of the issue while requesting the NSF and CTAN & NNQF to call off their agitation.
However, the student groups and aspirants remained undeterred and are going ahead with the agitation.
Officials from district administration and security personnel have been deployed to thwart any escalation of the situation. (PTI)
