NSF Finance Secretary charged of vandalism, soliciting tributes from resto lounges
Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 2
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) is in the spotlight with one of its executives facing allegations of vandalism and illicit soliciting of monetary tributes from businesses. The issue, which came to light on July 1, not only had the top Naga student body in an embarrassing situation, but also brought into question, once again, the role of the state authorities, including the police and Department of Excise and Prohibition.
On the night of June 30, there was an incident at one resto lounge in Dimapur involving the NSF Finance Secretary Katho P Awomi. As per the CCTV footage of the incident, which circulated on social media, Awomi is seen wielding a baseball bat, reminiscent of South Korean gangster movies, and vandalising the bar of a popular resto lounge owned by the President of the Dimapur Restaurant Union, Tito Yepthomi. A posse of unidentified individuals looked on as the NSF Finance Secretary trashed the counter top, of what appeared to be an unattended bar, with the baseball bat.
The video clip was followed by another, which reportedly showed Awomi and Yepthomi engaged in a war of words by the roadside, outside the resto lounge. It was still to be ascertained when this incident occurred.
The back story was allegedly unrequited request for monetary tributes by the NSF from affiliates of the Dimapur Restaurant Union. As per a ‘Meeting Resolution’ of the union dated June 28, it had received a request for “financial assistance” from the NSF. As a “gesture of goodwill,” each affiliate of the union was asked to contribute Rs 5000 in response to the request. It remained unclear whether the specified tributes were doled out but things escalated and snowballed into the incidents captured on the videos.
This was however followed by the Dimapur Restaurant Union President Yepthomi issuing a written clarification on July 1, claiming that the CCTV footage and a letter containing a list of resto lounges in Dimapur vis-à-vis the financial assistance to the NSF was “misinterpreted.” As per the clarification, the NSF did not solicit any financial assistance, and whatever amount the resto lounge union agreed to shell out was done so out of goodwill, in appreciation of the NSF’s cause. In the clarification, Yepthomi appealed the general public and media houses to refrain from further circulating the videos and the related letters.
The story did not end there however. It emerged that Yepthomi had filed a police complaint against the NSF Finance Secretary. The complaint was registered by the police on July 2. Neither the police nor the NSF has revealed the details of the incident.
NSF to meet
The NSF President Mteisuiding Heraang when contacted by The Morung Express said he will be able to comment on the matter only after a seating of the executive body. According to Heraang, they will have a meeting on July 3 in Kohima. An NSF delegation returned to Kohima from Shillong on July 2 after attending to a matter concerning the Naga Students’ Union Shillong.
