Dimapur, July 3 (MExN): In a delayed statement received here only today, Parliamentary Secretary for Industry & Commerce Dr. KC Nihoshe responded to the Naga Students’ Federation demand for his removal. The parliamentary secretary is charged of lobbying on behalf of some NPSC candidates who were accused in the recent answer-script swapping scam.
Dr. Nihoshe said in his response that “guilt by family relationships or association is a dangerous concept” and that “the allegations against my sons and others is sub-judice (sic).” The allegations whether they are true or not would be determined by the “course of trial” he said. He expressed sadness at the “recent imbroglio” in the NPSC examinations. “My sons are mature adults having their own independent sources of livelihood. All I know is that they appeared for the NCS and allied services examination. Consider these hypothetical questions: If a student is caught cheating in the examination hall, can his parents be blamed,” the parliamentary secretary queried. “I am not the only father in public office against whose children the allegations have been made. This being so, I am at loss to understand the hostility directed against me,” Dr. Nihoshe stated.
Further, stating “guilt by family relationship is a dangerous concept” Dr. Nihoshe said, “We Nagas in general has this insidious habit of generalizing and accusing each other en-block for acts of individuals.”
He cited instances from personal experiences that allegations of act committed “by relatives” have been “politicized so as to tarnish my good name.”
According to him, “parents may have their failures but just because their offspring are allegedly involved in crimes, parents should not be blamed or held guilty.” This concept, he said is the ‘disturbing point of concern.”
“…trial by media and public platforms is the very antithesis of the rule of law. The allegations which are sub-judice (sic) must proceed to their logical conclusion in accordance with the rule of law and this aspect of the matter ought not be lost sight of,” he stated. He reminded against turning it “into a circus, motivated by considerations other than justice for all parties including those against whom the allegations have been made; I hope the sentiments expressed here in this article will be appreciated in their proper perspective” he added.
