Naga Students’ Federation protest candidature of non-Naga for MBBS seat under state quota

KOHIMA — The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) on Tuesday staged a sit-in protest in Kohima against the candidature of Vatsala Panghal, who had applied for admission to MBBS under the Nagaland state quota through NEET-UG 2025.

Student volunteers joined NSF leaders in a march from Naga Solidarity Park to the Directorate of Technical Education, where the protest was held.

Addressing the gathering, NSF education secretary Temjentoshi said the protest was to show resentment against “outsiders trying to deprive the Nagas of their rightful seats, which undermines the policy of the state quota.”

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NSF president Medovi Rhi expressed dismay that the matter had been taken to court, stating that the case showed Article 371(A) alone “cannot protect our rights and identity.”

“It is our responsibility, it is our right to fight for our future,” he added.

Alleging that the applicant, daughter of an army officer, is neither a Scheduled Tribe member nor an indigenous inhabitant of the state, Rhi maintained that, “It is our future, our land, our right. It is us who are to decide. We cannot allow someone to decide for our future.”

He criticised the two-week stay order granted by the High Court and warned of intensified agitation if the seat was allotted to the applicant.

He said that during the 14-day period, the organisation “is watching carefully and will not leave anything behind.” He asserted that an outsider or a government servant could not decide the future of the Naga community.

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Meanwhile, a representative of the Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA) said the case put students’ right to opportunity at risk and affirmed that the association would fight to safeguard it.

Highlighting that Nagaland received its first medical college only after 60 years of statehood, he noted that the state is allotted just 40 to 42 MBBS seats annually. Even one being given to non-Nagas, he said, would be unfair.

The NMSA demanded disqualification of Panghal’s candidature and called for stricter verification and screening processes to prevent such cases in future.

Later, briefing the media, Rhi reiterated that the protest was against non-locals attempting to claim seats reserved for Nagaland inhabitants. He stressed that the federation was not against any individual but emphasised that the 42 seats had been allotted to state inhabitants.

“We are very discouraged to see non-locals trying to snatch away seats that are allocated to our Nagaland state inhabitants. It’s our land, it’s our right and it’s our future,” he said, calling on the wider Naga community to stand with the federation.

While it is unclear where the candidate had pursued her studies, the NSF president reiterated that she is neither an ST member nor an indigenous Naga.

The next hearing is scheduled for the first week of September. Until then, Rhi said, the NSF would not allow the individual to collect the nominee certificate from the department and urged the state government to pursue the case in a higher court.