Kohima: Kohima witnessed significant unrest on Tuesday as thousands of students and job seekers took to the streets to protest the Nagaland state government’s recent decision to regularise 147 ad-hoc and contract assistant professors within the Directorate of Higher Education. The contentious order, issued on April 21, has ignited widespread opposition, primarily spearheaded by the influential Naga Students’ Federation.
The Naga Students’ Federation initiated its first phase of agitation after a seven-day ultimatum given to the government expired without any action. Demonstrators marched from Naga Solidarity Park to the Directorate of Higher Education office, where they held a sit-in protest. The students voiced their strong disapproval of the regularisation process, labelling it as unjust and devoid of transparency. Over a thousand student volunteers representing various units of the NSF actively participated in the demonstration.
Medovi Rhi, the president of the NSF, vehemently condemned the government’s move, describing it as a betrayal of the principle of meritocracy. He asserted that fairness was a non-negotiable right of the students and aspirants, and accused the government of denying hardworking youngsters their rightful opportunities. Rhi emphatically stated that the decision was a direct assault on the very essence of merit-based selection. He further declared the NSF’s unwavering commitment to continue their agitation until justice is served and the decision is reversed.
Joining the chorus of dissent, the Combined Technical Aspirants Nagaland and the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum also resumed their protests on the same critical issue. These groups had previously suspended their initial demonstrations on April 25 following verbal assurances from the Minister for Higher Education that the regularisation order would be withdrawn and the high-powered committee investigating the matter would be dissolved. However, with no concrete action materialising, they recommenced their agitation to press for their demands.
The Combined Technical Aspirants Nagaland and the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum have articulated three fundamental demands to the state government: the immediate revocation of the April 21 regularisation order, the dissolution of the high-powered committee, and the requisition of the 147 assistant professor posts for recruitment through open and competitive examinations conducted by the Nagaland Public Service Commission.
In an attempt to address the escalating protests, the state cabinet took a decision on Monday to expedite the high-powered committee’s report submission timeline, reducing it from the initial eight weeks to four weeks. The government also issued an appeal to the Naga Students’ Federation, the Combined Technical Aspirants Nagaland, and the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum to cease their ongoing protests. Despite these overtures, the protestors have remained resolute, asserting their determination to continue their agitation until their demands are fully met by the state government.
In light of the widespread protests, security forces and district officials have been deployed at various protest sites across Kohima to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incidents. The situation remains tense as the student and job aspirant communities await a decisive response from the state government regarding their demands.
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