Nagaland: Protests escalate as technical bodies reject govt's committee move on faculty absorption

Tension escalated in the state capital on Monday evening as more than a thousand members of the Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) and the Nagaland Net Qualified Forum refused to vacate their protest venue outside the Directorate of Higher Education. 

The agitators rejected the Nagaland Cabinet's decision to constitute a review committee to look into the controversial absorption of 147 contractual Assistant Professors and Librarians.

The emergency Cabinet meeting, held at Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s residence earlier this evening, concluded with a decision to form a high-powered committee comprising four to five senior bureaucrats. The committee has been tasked with reviewing the contentious absorption issue and submitting its findings within seven to eight weeks.

Briefing the media, Government spokesperson and Minister KG Kenye stated that the absorption process would remain in abeyance until the committee submits its report. He appealed for calm, urging all sides to refrain from any form of violence and to let “good sense prevail.” Kenye emphasized that the government is treating the issue with utmost seriousness and is committed to a fair resolution.

However, CTAN President Meshenlo Kath, speaking on behalf of the aggrieved protestors, made it clear that the government's decision to delay the matter with a committee is unacceptable. He reiterated their demand for an immediate revocation of the notification that regularized the 147 contract-based faculty members without following due recruitment norms.

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The protest, now entering its third day, intensified as thousands of agitators refused to disperse, camping overnight at the site in defiance of the Cabinet's resolution. They also demanded that Higher Education Minister Temjen Imna Along address them in person on Monday night.

"We are not asking for favors. We are demanding fairness, transparency, and justice for qualified candidates who were bypassed," said a protestor holding a placard that read “Merit Over Manipulation.”

Earlier today, Higher Education Minister Temjen Imna Along convened a meeting with select stakeholders, including representatives from the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), the All Nagaland Government Teachers Association, and senior officials of the department at his residence.

Following the meeting, NSF officials briefed the media, stating that the Federation had submitted a seven-day ultimatum to the state government demanding the revocation of the controversial order. The NSF affirmed its commitment to pursue the issue and warned that if the government fails to meet its demand within the stipulated time, it will be compelled to initiate its own course of action.

Meanwhile, the CTAN and allied groups have long maintained that the absorption process undermines merit-based recruitment and violates existing UGC norms, particularly affecting NET-qualified candidates who have been waiting for transparent recruitment.

With the government buying time through the formation of a review committee and the protestors showing no signs of backing down, the state is likely to witness continued unrest unless an immediate breakthrough is reached.