The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) on Tuesday staged a sit-in demonstration at the Directorate of Technical Education, Kohima, objecting to the candidature of Vatsala Panghal for an MBBS seat under the Nagaland state quota through NEET-UG 2025.
Student volunteers joined the federation leaders in a march that began from Naga Solidarity Park before converging at the directorate, where the protest was held.
Speaking at the program, NSF education secretary Temjentoshi said the agitation was an expression of resentment against what the federation sees as “outsiders attempting to deprive Nagas of their rightful seats under the state quota policy.”
NSF president Medovi Rhi told the gathering that the matter being taken to court showed that Article 371(A) by itself “cannot protect our rights and identity.” He declared, “It is our responsibility, our right, to fight for our future,” while insisting that the applicant — the daughter of an army officer — was neither a Scheduled Tribe member nor an indigenous inhabitant of Nagaland.
The NSF also took exception to the two-week interim stay order granted by the High Court, with Rhi cautioning that the federation “is watching carefully and will not leave anything behind.”
The NMSA, extending solidarity with the federation, pointed out that Nagaland receives only 40–42 MBBS seats each year. With the state’s first medical college having started only recently, even one seat going to a non-Naga would amount to injustice, its representative said.
The association called for stricter verification and screening mechanisms to ensure that such cases do not recur.
Briefing the media later, Rhi clarified that the protest was not directed at any individual but against the broader issue of non-locals attempting to secure seats meant exclusively for Nagaland inhabitants. He said it was discouraging to see non-locals trying to snatch away seats that are allocated to Nagaland state inhabitants. “It’s our land, it’s our right and it’s our future,” he remarked, urging the wider Naga community to stand with the federation.
(With inputs from Eastern Mirror)
