Kohima, May 1: The Nagaland government on Wednesday revoked its April 21 order that had regularised the services of 147 assistant professors and librarians.
Many student organisations led by Naga Students’ Federation, Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) and Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF) have been holding agitations demanding that the government revoke its April 21 order.
Nagaland government Spokesperson and minister K G Kenye told reporters that the decision to revoke the “controversial” order was taken during a state Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. The Cabinet acted on an interim report submitted by the High Powered Committee (HPC), which had been formed earlier to review the issue.
“Since the declaration of the agitation on April 21, the government was not idle. A High Powered Committee was formed to investigate the matter and submit a report within eight weeks—later shortened to four,” Kenye said.
He added that with the protests intensifying from Tuesday, the HPC submitted its interim findings, which supported the revocation of the regularisation order.
The agitation by the Naga Students’ Federation, CTAN and NNQF was called off after the government announced the decision to revoke its April 21 order.
When asked why the Cabinet had approved the absorption despite a standing government order from June 2016 prohibiting such actions, Kenye said the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) had “misled” the government, resulting in a situation that brought embarrassment to the administration.
Calling the incident an “eye-opener”, Kenye emphasised that the cabinet would remain vigilant to prevent such occurrences in any department. He also assured that strict action would follow once the full report is submitted by the HPC within the remaining four weeks.
A notification issued by Chief Secretary J Alam said, “In supersession of the Department’s April 21 notification and in public interest, the Governor of Nagaland is pleased to revoke the absorption notifications dated December 12, 2024, and April 10, 2025, with immediate effect. This is issued with the approval of the Cabinet.”
Earlier in the day, the NSF locked the main gate of the DHE office as part of its protest, while CTAN and NNQF continued their peaceful sit-in for the sixth consecutive day. Though local authorities attempted to persuade them to allow access to the office, the groups remained firm until the revocation was officially announced.
NSF began its protest on Tuesday, while CTAN and NNQF had launched theirs on April 21. Their agitation was briefly paused on April 25 following a verbal assurance from Higher Education Minister Temjen Imna Along, promising revocation of the order.
After receiving the official revocation order, NSF vice president Mteisuiding Herang and secretary of Information and Publicity Pithungo Shitio announced the suspension of their agitation. CTAN Convenor Meshenlo Kath also confirmed the end of their protest but submitted a memorandum demanding that the 147 posts be requisitioned through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) within three weeks to ensure fair competition.
Kath warned that if the government fails to initiate the NPSC requisition process within the stipulated time, CTAN and NNQF will resume their agitation. (PTI)
