KOHIMA, AUG 12 : The Eastern Nagaland College Students’ Union (ENCSU) organized a peaceful sit-in-protest today, outside the Secretariat in Kohima town, against the Nagaland government for failing to fulfill the group’s demand to review the NSEE and to allocate ‘four missing seats’ to BT candidates.
A representation from the union sought immediate intervention of the governor ‘against NSEE-II Result 2016.’ The union cautioned that failing to meet said demand by August 15 would force the students to take ‘extreme action of even disrupting the Independence Day celebrations.’
The sit-in-protest saw the participation of eastern Naga students from various colleges in Kohima.
Addressing the gathering, the chairman of the ENCSU, M Longre Chang, said that the union had submitted two representations to the state government through the director of ‘technical department’ and to the chief secretary. However, in a reply to the representations on August 11, he said, the department was not in position to fulfill said demand.
‘Instead of fulfilling our demands, the government is trying to brainwash the ENCSU and playing with us,’ Chang alleged.
Chang also claimed that the eastern Naga have been ‘deprived enough and can’t be tolerated more.’
‘Although we are backward in diplomats and infrastructures, we are not intellectually backward anymore.’
Eastern Naga Students’ Federation’s president Sasha also spoke. In his speech, the ENSF leader asserted that they will 'never surrender as we are fighting not only for ourselves today, but for our coming generations too.’
‘Enough is enough. We have suffered enough humiliation and deprivation,’ he claimed, and said that even after 60 years of Nagaland attaining statehood, the eastern region remains in the same situation ‘with no visible and feasible change.’ Therefore, he said, the eastern Naga have been compelled to demand a separate state.
While pointing out 'lack of free and fair policy' in the recently-declared results of the NSEE-II, he alleged ‘manipulation of MCI policies.’ He has asked the authorities ‘not to play with the lives and career of the eastern Naga.’
The ENCSU also demanded a review of the NSEE results for 2016. Only three BT candidates are said to have been selected ‘against the actual 7 seats.’
The union has alleged that the distribution of seats had ‘never been fair’. They have demanded that the government and the department in concern ‘review and implement the quota as per the government’s policy by conducting re-examination solely for candidates belonging to the backward tribes of Nagaland.’
