The All Nagaland Adhoc Teachers Group (ANATG), 2015 batch, has reaffirmed that it will continue its indefinite hunger strike until the government makes “any satisfactory or desirable offers,” regardless of measures taken by the district administration or the state government.
ANATG escalated its agitation on Wednesday by launching an indefinite hunger strike over the delay in regularization of services. The teachers had been staging daily demonstrations at Naga Solidarity Park since February 4 before escalating the agitation.
The protest entered its seventh day, with 13 male volunteers commencing the hunger strike around 10 am outside the Capital Convention Centre. The group stated that the fast would continue until the government makes a satisfactory offer. Volunteers said they would survive only on plain water, without juice or supplements.
While the district administration permitted the protest only from 9 am to 4 pm, the volunteers attempted to continue beyond the deadline by setting up canopies along the roadside. Authorities later dispersed them, citing that the area was public property. The volunteers relented to avoid violent confrontation.
They confirmed that the hunger strike is continuing at their camp and that they will return to the designated site tomorrow for the permitted “9 am to 4 pm” window.
Saying that the Kohima district administration had informed them that the “9 am to 4 pm” window would be permissible only till tomorrow, a volunteer alleged that the limited permission appeared aimed at disbanding the protest. “What we understand is that the government is trying to disband the protest and it’s very disheartening that we are not even allowed to express our resentment through democratic means,” he said.
“If the system has to work like this, then democracy itself is at stake. It’s not happening only in other parts of India but here in Nagaland also. It’s very sad.”
ANATG officials reiterated that all 1,166 members had cleared the suitability test and completed required formalities, maintaining that their demand for regularization is legitimate and non-negotiable. They termed the recent clarification issued through DIPR as “outdated” and not reflective of their present demand.
