Five major Naga tribes hold protest in Kohima, demands review of job reservation policy

Kohima, July 9 (IANS) Defying government appeal, thousands of tribal people belonging to five Naga organisations on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Nagaland Civil Secretariat here demanding a review of the state's job reservation policy.

Under the banner of the 5-Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CoRRP), the demonstrators demanded either to scrap the existing job reservation policy, which has been in effect since 1977, or to reallocate the unfilled reserved positions specifically to these five major tribes.

The five tribes CoRRP comprises five Naga tribe organisations -- the Angami Public Organisation, the Ao Senden, the Lotha Hoha, the Rengma Hoho, and the Sumi Hohoon, representing the five major tribal communities Ao, Angami, Lotha, Rengma and Sumi.

The protestors, attired in traditional dresses, displayed banners and placards saying "We protest against 48 years of indefinite reservation policy", "Backward Tribe (BT) reservation without minimum cut-off marks is a mockery of the system", "BT reservation in 48 years has outlived its intended purpose", "48 years of patience on BT reservation has become unbearable."

Terming the 1977 reservation policy as 'outdated and oppressive', the CoRRP demanded its repeal or redistribution of unutilised quotas to the five tribes.

The Nagaland government on Tuesday appealed to the 5-Tribes CoRRP to call off the strike, stating the matter was already under review.

A senior Nagaland government official on Tuesday said that the government's attention has been drawn to the proposed sit-in protest by the Five-Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat.

In an official statement from the office of the Chief Secretary, the government highlighted that the issue had already been discussed during a meeting held on June 3.

The June 3 meeting was chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister (Home), Yanthungo Patton and representatives from the Five-Tribes CoRRP and the apex bodies of the five concerned tribes attended the meeting.

During the meeting, it was conveyed that their demand would be referred to the state Cabinet for consideration. Subsequently, on June 12, the state Cabinet decided in principle to constitute a Commission to examine all aspects of the reservation policy in government employment.

The Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department has since been actively pursuing the necessary follow-up actions, as directed by the Cabinet.

In light of this ongoing process, the state government has appealed to the Five-Tribes CoRRP to refrain from proceeding with the planned agitation. The state government has reiterated its commitment to addressing the issue through proper institutional mechanisms, an official statement said.

On May 29, the Five-Tribes CoRRP held protest rallies in various districts of Nagaland in support of their demand. The Nagaland government had implemented the 1977 reservation policy for Backward Tribes (BT) and initially, 25 per cent jobs were reserved for seven tribes in non-technical and non-gazetted posts for a period of 10 years.

These tribes were designated as backward, based on their educational and economic disadvantage and limited representation in state services. However, over the years, the reservation has since increased to 37 per cent, with 25 per cent for seven eastern Nagaland tribes and 12 per cent for four other BT tribes.

The government had also informed that the state cabinet would hold a meeting and take a decision on the matter once the chief minister, who is currently out of station, is back.

On July 2, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, while appealing for public patience, said the Commission's task is "very detailed" and cannot deliver immediate results. Rio also clarified that any modification – be it in administration, reservations, or delimitations should be carried out only after the census, which is expected to be undertaken in 2027.

--IANS

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