Protests intensify in Nagaland as students demand fair recruitment process for assistant professors
KOHIMA: 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.
On the other hand, the Combined Technical Aspirants Nagaland (CTAN) and Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) are initiating the second protest. This is the resumption of their second phase after a temporary suspension of four days.
Both protesters are demanding the immediate revocation of the April 21 order of the state government that regularised these appointments and insisting that the posts be filled through open competition via the
Nagaland Public Service Commission
(NPSC) to ensure equal opportunity.
NSF president Medovi Rhi criticized the government's move, calling it a violation of meritocracy.
"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.
"We seek no favour but demand what is rightfully ours," Rhi said.
He asserted that until and unless justice is delivered NSF would not remain silent.
Irked over the government not fulfilling its demand, the NSF supporters tried to lock the DHE complex, but police personnel deployed there stopped them.
CTAN and NNQF leaders and volunteers are gathered outside the DHE.
Besides the two common demands with NSF, CTAN and NNQF are also seeking dissolution of the High Powered Committee constituted by the government to investigate the details of the matter.
"Even as the volunteers are angry over the failure of the government to fulfil our demands and also suggesting stringent measures including hunger-strike, we have resumed the second phase agitation in a peaceful mode," said Meshenlo Kath, convener of CTAN while interacting with reporters.
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 regularization order and also dissolve the HPC.
On Monday, the state cabinet decided to slash the time given to the HPC to submit its report from eight weeks to four weeks.
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