KOHIMA — Reny
Wilfred, the IAS officer embroiled in an alleged sexual assault case, has
denied the charges against him.
Nagaland Police has recently launched an investigation after
it had received a complaint against the officer whose latest position in
Nagaland government was as joint secretary of Planning and Transformation and
Industrial Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN).
Director General of Police (DGP) Nagaland, Rupin Sharma,
informed that a First Information Report (FIR) was filed last week at Crime
Cell, Police Headquarters, Kohima. He updated that the investigation has
already started, and therefore they cannot provide further information at this
stage.
Consequently, the state government issued a notification on
April 4 stating that “in the interest of public service, the government of
Nagaland is pleased to relieve Reny Wilfred of the charge of Joint Secretary,
Planning and Transformation, IDAN with immediate effect.”
Before this case, an FIR was also filed against the IAS
officer for alleged sexual assault on two minor girls while he was the Deputy
Commissioner of Noklak in 2021. The latest complaint was filed by the Nagaland
State Women Commission (NSCW).
Speaking to journalists in Kohima on Wednesday, Wilfred
denied the charges of sexual harassment and molestation “in toto”. Rather, he
levelled some serious allegations against an unnamed senior government official
from Nagaland, some officers in the Police department, the NSCW, and the legal
counsel of the NSCW.
According to him, a senior government officer had in 2016-17
approached him for technical and financial support to topple the Rio-led
government, which he had turned down.
“At that point, a group was formed for ensuring support
flowed through, for ensuring that the government is toppled, and in the next
election the government is not coming through,” he said, adding that he can
substantiate the claim.
Wilfred also said that this was not the first attempt to
arrest him. He claimed that the first attempt was made in January 2021 when, in
a public forum, he had reportedly countered the particular officer for saying
something against Nagaland.
The next day, he claimed that the then SP of Noklak had said
that she had received orders to arrest him.
“In the month of January, some officers of Police
department, with some others, had a meeting to fix me,” he claimed, adding that
he cannot disclose the details since “there are matters that are sub judice.”
While in Noklak
While serving as DC Noklak, he claimed to have discovered a
child trafficking network operating there—prompting him to ask the people
concerned to ensure every village keeps a register. This, he said, attracted
complaints against him.
“Now, all of a sudden, (those) who were aware of this issue
or who were helping me to identify the people (traffickers) started to have
unnatural deaths,” he said, adding that none of the dead bodies underwent post
mortem.
Wilfred further claimed that his transfer petitions in High
Court and Supreme Court were rejected because of a report by Police department
saying that there was no threat to his life. He claimed that there was a
compromise.
He cited a Nagaland report after a three-member committee
was formed under the direction of the High Court. The report stated: “Hence,
the stance taken by the IGP CID on such compromise agreement only on verbal
confirmation should not be considered and submission so made by the KMN Council
shall be null and void of merit.”
Claiming loss of trust in the police, the IAS officer sought
an investigation by intelligence agencies to ascertain whether a group
including officers was formed to topple the then government.
He added he would be filing a petition very soon.
On the latest FIR against him, he claimed that the NSCW
should have had the courtesy of giving him a call or asking for his statement.
According to him, there is a “bias with which the legal team of NSCW had
acted."
“Incidentally, the counsel for Nagaland State Women
Commission, who is also the counsel for Police department, is the lawyer
representing the alleged victims in Tuensang court. And there are written
submissions given to the government by some of the people, with copies
delivered to me as well, that this lawyer has cherry-picked statements to
ensure that things are going in a particular manner,” he claimed.
He accused the counsel of having multiple employments and
drawing salary from multiple departments.
“There are two documents fabricated against me submitted in
High Court by the same advocate,” he alleged.
“For sexual harassment complaints, there is something called
due process. The complaints, even if NSCW received them, should have been given
to the internal complaints committee which is existing there in IDAN, also in
the Secretariat, and the committee should have evaluated them and submitted
them to police for evaluation. The whole process has been cross-circuited or
short-circuited to ensure that a case is filed and fixed,” he added.
He asked for time to prove his point. “For this one-track
case fabricated against me, it took me two years to prove that it is
fabrication. With this case, how long I am going to take, I do not know. So, at
least allow me time,” he said.
“If I am forced to
move out of Nagaland, you all will believe that I have run away or gone
absconding from Nagaland because I have actually done something wrong. You will
assume – people will assume that I have done something wrong,” Wilfred
maintained, adding that he will not run away.
NSF, DNSU slam delay in police probe
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has expressed outrage at
the delay in concluding the police investigation against Reny Wilfred, who
stands accused of sexual harassment at the workplace by female employees under
his authority.
In a letter to DGP Nagaland, the federation stated that
despite the gravity of the charges and the trauma inflicted on the victims,
“the matter remains unresolved, thereby undermining the principle of justice
and the safety of women in government service.”
The NSF maintained that it is closely monitoring the
developments and will not remain silent should justice be denied or delayed.
“Any attempt by political or bureaucratic elements to
interfere with or derail the process of investigation will be strongly opposed.
Any such individuals or entities attempting to shield the accused shall be held
equally responsible and accountable in the eyes of the Naga public,” it warned.
The NSF demanded that the investigation be concluded without
any further delay and necessary action be taken immediately against the accused
based on the findings.
In a separate statement, the Dimapur Naga Students’ Union
(DNSU) expressed its unequivocal support for the NSF’s stance.
“We find it utterly reprehensible that despite the severity
of these allegations and the manifest trauma inflicted upon the victims, the
investigation remains in a state of desultory inertia,” it stated.
The DNSU requested the Nagaland police headquarters “to
discharge its duties with unwavering rectitude, alacrity, and the requisite
perspicacity that this exigent situation demands.”
With contributions from our Kohima Correspondent Livine
Khrozhoh
