The Rising Peoples’ Party (RPP) has launched a scathing attack on the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government, accusing it of shielding IAS officer Reny Wilfred, who is “credibly accused of violating minor girls under POCSO and systematically preying on female subordinates.”
In a statement issued on May 13, the RPP questioned “the deafening silence of the PDA government regarding the Reny Wilfred scandal,” alleging that the issue has “exposed not just the moral bankruptcy of a bureaucrat but the rotten nexus shielding him.”
The party alleged that while “common citizens face the full wrath of the law for petty crimes,” Wilfred “still enjoys unprecedented state protection—as Joint Secretary (Finance),” despite serious allegations against him. “So instead of initiating disciplinary proceedings against him by way of suspension, the state government has rewarded this bureaucrat,” the RPP charged, calling it “criminal collusion at the highest levels.”
Naming top leaders in the PDA government, the RPP claimed that “the Metha-Rio-Wilfred nexus remains a festering wound in public discourse.” It questioned why the initial complainant, IDAN Chairman Abu Metha, and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio “remain conspicuously mute,” asking, “Is Wilfred’s immunity a quid pro quo for buried secrets?”
The statement also referred to disturbing claims that the accused bureaucrat “openly boasted about being approached to topple the government, ridiculed the judiciary, and slandered the Nagaland State Women Commission (NSWC).”
Despite repeated calls for justice from women’s groups and student bodies, including the Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA), Angami Women Organisation (AWO), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), and Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU), the government has allegedly failed to act. “The government’s shameful silence confirms only one conclusion: Rio’s administration is held hostage by this all-powerful bureaucrat,” the RPP stated.
The party also questioned the silence of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), asking, “Is this the PDA government’s model of ‘Women Empowerment’ and ‘Good Governance’?”
Further, the RPP warned the government “not to pursue vendetta politics against any of the women complainants in IDAN through termination of jobs and transfer,” adding that “the RPP will be watching the issue closely.”
Calling the affair a “dirty episode” that “exposes the putrid underbelly of Nagaland’s power structure,” the RPP concluded: “Sooner or later, this unholy protection and nexus must break.”