Scenes from the sixth day of peaceful protest by CTAN and
NNQF outside the Higher Education office in Kohima. (EM Images)
KOHIMA — The
Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) and the Nagaland NET
Qualified Forum (NNQF) called off their six-day peaceful protest on Wednesday
after the state government revoked its order regularising 147 contractual posts
of assistant professors and librarians.
This marks the fulfilment of the protesters’ primary demand.
The contentious order—No. HTE/HE/13-3/2020 (Pt-1) 104 dated December
2024—allowed for the absorption of the 147 ad hoc faculty members into
government colleges across the state, a move that sparked outrage among
qualified NET aspirants who felt it circumvented the established competitive
examination process conducted by the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).
While celebrating this initial victory, the CTAN-NNQF wasted
no time in escalating their pressure. In a memorandum submitted to the chief
secretary on Wednesday, they outlined their "second" demand: the
immediate requisition of the 147 posts to the NPSC for a fair and open competition,
adhering to the office memorandum dated June 6, 2025.
The latest memorandum from the protestors stipulates a
three-week deadline for the government to comply. Failure to requisition the
posts to the NPSC by May 21, the CTAN-NNQF warned, will result in a return to
“democratic means” of protest.
“We have sacrificed so many days. Now, I should say that the
Naga youths have already awakened,” said Meshenlo Kath, the convenor of CTAN.
The gate of Higher Education office was locked by NSF on
Wednesday. (EM Images)
He emphasised the impact of their movement, stating,
"Now, whenever the government comes up with another policy to manipulate
the people, they have to think ten times."
Kath congratulated aspiring candidates, hailing the
government’s revocation of the order as a "great victory." He
expressed confidence that with a fair and transparent NPSC process, deserving
candidates would have a genuine opportunity to secure positions.
"We are finally very happy that the government has
revoked the order. At the same time, we want to request the government to
requisition all those posts to the NPSC at the earliest," he said.
The CTAN-NNQF vowed to continue their fight against
perceived corruption in other government departments, claiming to possess
incriminating documents that will be made public at the appropriate time.
They asserted their readiness to challenge any
irregularities found within government institutions.
The government’s decision to revoke the order on Wednesday
followed three cabinet sittings held during the six days of protest.
Elated aspirants after the government revoked its order on
Wednesday. (EM Images)
Earlier in the day, the Naga Students Federation (NSF) also
joined the agitation, locking the gates of the Directorate of Higher Education
in support of the demand for revocation.
