DGP Rupin Sharma addressing a press conference in Kohima on September 30. (Morung photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 30
Nagaland DGP Rupin Sharma today assured that the recruitment process for Nagaland Police will be conducted in a fair manner. Nagaland Police had announced recruitment drive to fill 1,176 posts of general-duty constables.
“This is the first time that Nagaland Police has stopped physical acceptance of application forms from any candidates,” he said while addressing a press conference here today. “There are no physical forms to be collected by any candidate from any office, either PHQ or any of our units. All applications for recruitment are to be made only online.”
Sharma said the portal has two aspects: self-application and assisted applications, and asked candidates to take note of the same.
“In the advertisement itself, the tribal proportions are given as per the government decision,” he said, adding that the tribal proportions have been based on the 2011 census.
“People who are substance abusers can be tested at any stage and even after recruitment, and if they are found taking drugs, they will be removed straight away,” he added.
“My request and appeal to everybody is, please help us to make and keep the recruitment process fair from all angles,” Sharma said. “Please help us to keep it free from any interference or any allegations of bribery or influence or anything.”
“We would expect the best of the candidates from all tribes to get selected,” he said. “We are trying to ensure a fair recruitment and fairness in terms of political interference.”
Sharma said the long-pending recruitment process was finalised after consultations with departments, agencies, and tribal organisations concerned.
“Yes, it took time, but the government has relaxed the upper age limit to 38 years to ensure that candidates who lost opportunities due to delays or the COVID-19 pandemic can apply,” he said.
Candidates can apply from October 6 to November 7. The system includes both self-application and assisted-application modes, with one-time registration (OTR) to simplify future recruitment cycles, Sharma added.
The DGP also said that Nagaland Police is planning at least one more cycle of recruitment in the next five-six months, likely for another 1,200 posts, depending on training capacities. “Our training capacity is around 1,000, but we are adjusting to accommodate up to 1,200 trainees,” he said.
Sharma said all constables will be inducted into the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) to keep the units young and fit, with scope for later transfers to other branches.
On the examination format, he indicated that the written test may not use OMR sheets in this cycle, citing the need to provide fair opportunity to applicants with lower educational qualification, as the minimum eligibility is Class 6 for backward tribes and Class 8 for others.
Asked about communities such as the Garo, Kachari, Mikhir, and Kukis, Sharma said that their proportion of reserved seats, as per a government notification, has been placed in abeyance. “They may not be able to apply now, but once the issues get resolved, their share will also be implemented. The number of seats meant for them is not being filled by others, as they are being kept aside,” he said.
In previous recruitments, non-Nagas who had settled in Nagaland before statehood in December 1963 were also eligible to apply, while this time, that provision has been excluded. “We are looking at a futuristic Nagaland Police – cosmopolitan, representative, and fair,” Sharma added.
(With PTI inputs)
