• Says payments to NNPGs are made under duress, and fear of life and limb
• Says payments to NNPGs are made under duress, and fear of life and limb
• Fears the NIA will spare no govt. officials ‘if the present state of affairs continues’
• Says officials are held to ransom at gunpoint; 36 departments reportedly under NIA scanner
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Agitating CANSSEA members at Old MLA junction, Kohima before heading to Raj Bhavan to submit a memorandum to the governor on Tuesday.[/caption]
Kohima Bureau
Kohima, Nov. 21 (EMN): Disappointed with the ‘negative response’ of the govt. of Nagaland to the arrest of seven government employees by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last year and early part of this year, thousands of state govt. employees under the aegis of the Confederation of All Nagaland State Services Employees’ Association (CANSSEA) thronged the state capital for a silent protest on Tuesday to demand the central govt. to withdraw the NIA from Nagaland.
Employees of more than 40 govt. departments joined the rally which covered from Old MLA junction to Raj Bhavan, Kohima. They submitted a memorandum to Governor PB Acharya, with the demand to drop all investigations against various departments under the govt. of Nagaland relating to illegal taxation by Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs).
The four-point CANSSEA memorandum urged the governor to immediately ask the govt. of India to withdraw NIA investigation into Nagaland govt. employees concerning tax imposed by the NNPGs.
“Considering the serious political dialogue between GoI and the NNPGs and the peculiar and sensitive political situation in the state, all the ongoing investigations of the NIA should be dropped unconditionally,” the memorandum read.
“The govt. is well aware of the NIA conducting investigation into taxation imposed on departments by various NNPGs. The officials of the NIA has been conducting raids and making arrest of officials from various departments in the state. In due course of time, seven officials have been arrested and are being subjected to unimaginable ignominy interrogation at the custody of the NIA and labelling them as terrorist.”
Making it known that the state is well aware of the alleged taxation imposed by the NNPGs which have been going on since the beginning of the Naga freedom movement, the CANSSEA, in this regard, felt that all the officials of govt. establishments have become victims, and are being held to ransom at gunpoint.
“The undisputed reality is that payments of tax to the NNPGs are made not voluntarily or willingly, but under duress and fear of life and limb. The state govt. is the living witness to the fact of the many instances where life had been taken because of resistance to such taxation and demands,” it added.
The CANSSEA reminded the governor about the assassination of a serving Commandant, a Superintendent of Police, a Deputy Commissioner and a retired Director General of Police, and further life attempts made on lives of an IPR director, and the director of Industries and Commerce.
“That if the present state of affairs continues, no officer of the state govt. will be spared by the NIA. The arrest of the seven officers is only a prelude to the onslaught to follow. The state govt. cannot and must not turn a blind eye to what is happening to its servants, and is duty bound to protect its employees who had acted in the interest of the dept. and for protection of their lives,” it added.
Highlighting their problems to the governor, CANSSEA felt that it is the bounden duty of the state govt. to protect the lives of the govt. servants by providing security as personal bodyguards and house guards to all the head of departments and the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) across the state.
“It must be understood that the HoDs and DDOs never patronised the NNPGs,” CANSSEA said bringing to light the dangers involved and the sensitivity of the issue in the complex and fragile political dialogue between the central govt. and the NNPGs towards finding an amicable solution
Reminding that the political dialogue was at a critical stage, the CANSSEA document stated that any disturbance at this critical juncture may jeopardise the fabric of a peaceful settlement between the GoI and the NNPGs. “If any solution is to be arrived, it must come from the central government for which a peaceful settlement will not be achieved by mass arrest of innocent officers by the NIA.
“The central government, understanding the fact that the root cause of the problem stems from the NNPGs which is political in nature and requires political solution, and therefore, the GoI had resorted to intense political dialogue with the various NNPGs to arrive at a political settlement,” it stated.
The aggressive actions of the NIA reflects a different intention of the govt., which instead of finding solution, is aggravating the problem; leaving the state govt. officials between the proverbial ‘devil and the deep blue sea’, it further stated.
In the event of the state government’s failure to come up with any remedial action, the CANSSEA officials cautioned that it would be compelled to actions deemed fit to protect the interest of its employees.
Addressing a press conference after submitting the memorandum to the governor, CANSSEA members rubbished the NIA report against some of its officials alleged to have involved in funding/sponsoring “terrorists”.
CANSSEA core committee member Tsuktinungsang, while informing that 36 departments were under the NIA scanner, regretted that the govt. officials have been made scapegoats.
The director of IPR Limawati Ao regretted that the NIA had arrested some officials on the ground of sponsoring terrorists. “When working under duress and fear, the NIA has regarded us as being worse than terrorists for sponsoring terrorists. We are left with no option, but to submit ourselves to the demands of the NNPGs,” Ao said.
Director of Land Resources, Hoto Yeptho stated that govt. employees were insecure as they undergo threats and intimidations all the time, citing that many threats comes in the form of letters from NNPGs.
Yeptho also informed that the CANSSEA had earlier approached Chief Minister TR Zeliang in September this year, and also Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar in May, to apprise them on this issue, but said nothing happened out of it.
“Government officials have become an orphan. We are living in hell,” he said maintaining that “the officers, in no way, can be included in the list of sponsoring terrorists, as NIA reported.” Yeptho further informed about the assurance given by the governor to take up the issue with the chief minister and the chief secretary in this regard.
The director of Social Welfare, Merangtsungba Aier questioned as to why the GoI was ‘playing double game’. “Political talk is going on between the NNPGs and GoI, and meanwhile, they are sending NIA to harass us,” he alleged.
“NIA activity should be dropped and stopped for the moment. We should come out together to speak for our rights,” Aier stated.
Core Committee convenor, Dr. Tali Imsong Ao also spoke against the NIA arresting some officials on the ground of funding/sponsoring terrorists. He clarified that this had been wrongly reported.
Meanwhile, CANSSEA president Dr. Zase Chüsi said that they will retort to any kind of action, even to the extent of mass casual leave, if their problems are not understood and taken up by the government.
