The Chakhroma Public Organization (CPO) and the Western Sumi Hoho (WSH) on Thursday agreed to accept the government’s decision to conduct the upcoming police recruitment with tribal reservation based on the 2011 census, with the proviso that future recruitments will follow the new census scheduled for 2027.
The decision was taken during a joint meeting with Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha, IAS, and other senior officials at the Nagaland Secretariat. The meeting addressed concerns raised by the two tribal bodies over the placement of Chumoukedima and Niuland districts in the open category for the recruitment of over 1,000 police vacancies.
Sinha explained that the government was unable to consider requests for tribe-wise reservation in the newly created districts due to the absence of official census data. He also referred to a recent Guwahati High Court, Kohima Bench ruling on Excise Department recruitment, which stated that ”the rules of the game cannot be changed when the game has started.” Over 17,000 applicants have already registered for the ongoing police recruitment process.
Acknowledging the government’s position, the tribal leaders emphasized that their intention was not to oppose the recruitment process but to raise concerns on behalf of their tribes in the two districts.
CPO highlights difficulties faced by foothill residents in producing NOCs from native villages
In a separate representation, the CPO highlighted difficulties faced by applicants permanently residing in foothill villages, who are required to produce No Objection Certificates (NOC) from their native villages to prove they are Nagas by blood.
The organization argued that this requirement is inconvenient and impractical, as native village authorities often do not know the applicants and hesitate to issue crucial documents like ST and Indigenous Inhabitant Certificates. The CPO urged the government to waive the NOC requirement, noting that leaders of the applicants’ present villages have been appointed by the Government of Nagaland after due diligence.
Officials present at today’s meeting included Thejawhelie Gregory, Commissioner Nagaland; RP Kikon, ADGP; Videlalie Zashumo, ADG (Adm); Limasunep, Special Secretary (Home); Masudong, NPS; and Member Secretary, among others.