IAS officer Reny Wilfred, Joint Secretary of Planning and Transformation and the Industrial Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), has publicly denied allegations of sexual assault leveled against him, claiming he is a victim of a larger political conspiracy.
In a statement issued from his office chamber on Tuesday, Wilfred said, “In 2016-17, a very senior officer of Nagaland approached me to support him in toppling the (then) government by providing technical support and money. I refused. After that, a group was formed to ensure the government was brought down. I have facts substantiating this, and I am willing to have intelligence agencies verify the facts.”
Wilfred alleged that this is not the first attempt to file an FIR against him. “In January 2021, I countered this officer for making derogatory remarks about Nagaland. Soon after, I was informed that an FIR had been filed against me. However, the matter was brought to the government’s notice, and no arrest was made,” he said.
Referring to his tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Noklak district, Wilfred stated that he had taken strong measures against child trafficking by instructing every village to maintain registers.
“People who supported me started dying unnatural deaths soon after I left Noklak. One of them died the day I left, and later, his uncle, aunt, and father also passed away suddenly,” he added.
He urged the public and authorities to allow the judicial process to unfold, saying, “Allow me to prove myself in court since the matter is sub judice. I am willing to undergo any investigation to prove my innocence.” He further alleged that “people from outside Nagaland” are behind the current allegations.
It may be noted that the Nagaland Police registered an FIR against Wilfred after multiple women lodged complaints of alleged sexual assault through the Nagaland State Women Commission (NSWC). Following the FIR, the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms (P&AR) issued a notification on April 4 relieving him of his departmental charges with immediate effect.
Officials from the NSWC confirmed to Nagaland Post that they had received information regarding the allegations in February and, after their preliminary investigations, managed to meet several of the victims. The Commission then took down verbal statements and forwarded it to the state police for investigation.