While the April 16 protest outside the Directorate of Higher Education in Kohima was flickered by the state’s controversial regularization of 147 college faculty, the slogans raised by protest leaders pointed to something deeper — a collective silence within Naga society that, they say, allows systemic injustice to thrive.
“Don’t be mere spectators. If you are not standing for the people here today, tomorrow people will not come for you when you need them,” declared Meshenlo Kath, convenor of the Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN), in his speech.
Kath directly addressed what he called the absence of public solidarity, stating, “This is the reason the government is taking advantage of us. Educated people must not remain silent.” His words resonated with many in the gathering, made up of NET-qualified aspirants, research scholars, and members of various technical associations.
It may be recalled that during CTAN’s earlier protest against the Directorate of Soil and Water Conservation over the termination of two illegally appointed Junior Soil Conservation Officers (JSCOs), public turnout had been minimal. Still, Kath and his association persisted — and their threat to lock down the directorate ultimately led to the department conceding to their demand.
“Are you with me?” he asked the crowd. A resounding “Yes!” followed.
“It should be like this. It is because you are silent, the stupid politicians are taking advantage of us. This kind of systemic injustice is happening in every department because you are all silent.”
Kath urged citizens not to fear retaliation:
“Don’t think if you speak, you will be targeted. You won’t be. If many of us keep speaking up, who will they attack?”
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Similar sentiments were echoed by the Civil Engineering Association Nagaland (CEAN), whose representative called out the tendency to internalise injustice rather than take collective action.
The protest also saw strong participation from research scholars.
Teisozelhou Beio of the Nagaland University Research Scholars’ Forum (Lumami) said, “Forty of us came from Lumami to show we are part of this fight. This isn’t just about regularisation—it’s about equity in public recruitment.”
The NURSF (Kohima), Nagaland Library Association (NLA), Agriculture Student Association of Nagaland (ASAN), and CEAN were also among the organisations standing in solidarity along with aspirants.
While the state has offered a formal explanation regarding the appointments, protestors say the issue is no longer limited to procedural lapses. A social media campaign using the hashtag #RevokeRegularisation has also been launched, urging citizens to tag Higher Education Minister Temjen Imna Along and demand accountability.
As the protest enters its next phase, the message from the ground is clear: if the people remain silent, they leave the door open for injustice to become policy.
