KOHIMA — The 5 Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CoRRP) has given Nagaland government ten days to set up the long-awaited Reservation Review Commission (RRC), warning of an indefinite shutdown from October 1 if its demand is ignored.

Addressing the media after a meeting at Hotel Japfu, Kohima, on Saturday, convenor Tesinlo Semy said that the committee had unanimously decided to write to the chief minister, giving the government until September 30 to act.

The meeting was attended by tribal presidents, student unions, youth organisations, and women’s groups.

“With this delay, we cannot wait any longer. The government had committed to setting up the commission within a month, but more than a hundred days have passed without action,” Semy remarked.

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CoRRP secretary GK Zhimomi recalled that the state Cabinet had, on June 12, agreed in principle to constitute the commission.

“It’s exactly 100 days today. The government wanted nominations from civil societies, which we opposed from the very beginning. Yet, despite repeated assurances, the commission has not been formed,” he said.

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He stressed that the demand was not a new one but arose from the June 3 meeting between CoRRP and the state government, chaired by the deputy chief minister.

At that meeting, the government assured the committee that the RRC would be formed within a month. Zhimomi alleged that the government’s delay appears to be intentional, possibly to wait for the next Census.

The committee also reiterated its three core demands as outlined in its August 9 resolution. First, it rejected the government’s proposal to include one member each from all three blocks, arguing that civil society organisations should have no role in the commission.

Second, it agreed to the proposed six-month tenure of the commission but insisted there must be no delays or extensions. Third, it demanded that the findings of the commission be implemented immediately and not be held back until the completion of the census.

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“If the government insists on waiting for the Census, then the current reservation policy should be suspended,” Zhimomi said, adding that the government’s silence for over one and a half months has only deepened public frustration.

Saturday’s meeting resolved that if the government does not act within the stipulated time, CoRRP and its affiliated tribal bodies will escalate agitation into its third phase, including a total shutdown.

The committee warned that it would not accept further excuses or delays. “Our deadline is clear. If the commission is not set up within ten days, we will launch an indefinite shutdown from October 1,” Semy cautioned.

The CoRRP maintained that the delay undermines the spirit of the June 12 Cabinet decision and accused the government of deliberately stalling the process under the pretext of census-related technicalities.