Nagaland medical students staged a peaceful agitation in Kohima on August 30. (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 30
Medical students in Nagaland on Saturday staged a peaceful demonstration here against the state government’s decision to regularise 280 contractual health workers appointed during the COVID-19 pandemic without competitive examinations.
The protest, organised under the banner of the Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA), was held outside the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare in Kohima, where dozens of medical and allied students gathered with placards and slogans. Banners carried by the agitators read “Merit over manipulation – No to backdoor regularisation”, “Medicine demands merit, not political deals”, and “Equal exam, equal respect.”
The demonstration followed a government notification issued on August 18, announcing the regularisation of 280 COVID-era appointees, including medical officers, dentists, Ayush practitioners and nurses, through a departmental screening committee instead of the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).
NMSA leaders said the order violated both constitutional provisions and existing state recruitment rules. “This decision undermines meritocracy and is in clear contravention of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before law and equal opportunity in public employment,” NMSA president Pito S Rochill told reporters during the agitation.
The association pointed out that under the Nagaland Health Service Rules, 2006, recruitment to Class-I gazetted posts, such as medical officers, requires 100 per cent selection through the NPSC. “Why are recruitment rules in place if they are not to be followed?” Rochill asked, terming the notification “illegal and arbitrary”.
General secretary Bonoto P Zimo said the NMSA was not against those who had served during the pandemic, but insisted that regularisation must take place through fair, transparent and rule-based procedures. “We respect their contribution during a time of crisis. But if regularisation is to happen, it should be done through open competition. Contracts cannot be gateways to gazetted posts,” he said.
The association maintained that temporary relaxations during the COVID-19 pandemic could not override established recruitment procedures for future appointments. “Fairness, justice, and equal opportunity must prevail in the health sector. If we allow this to happen, we are accepting a system that ignores merit and institutional integrity,” NMSA stated in its memorandum to the government.
Protesters also expressed concern about the transparency of the ongoing process, alleging that medical tests and interviews for the 280 posts had already begun on August 27 without prior notice or public information. “The entire exercise lacks transparency. Even candidates do not know when interviews are happening. This is why we are compelled to take a stand,” Rochill said.
NMSA further clarified that a previous court case on the issue had been dismissed without directions, and that the government was not authorised by the judiciary to proceed unchecked. “The case was dismissed without direction. That does not mean the government has the liberty to bypass rules,” Rochill asserted.
The students demanded immediate revocation of the August 18 notification, warning that they would continue peaceful demonstrations and explore legal remedies if necessary. “We are exercising our democratic rights. This is a fight for justice, not just for doctors but for the future of Nagaland’s healthcare system,” the NMSA president added.
The association also appealed to civil society groups, NGOs, student bodies and the public to support their cause. “We need solidarity from all sections of society to ensure that merit-based systems are protected,” Zimo said.
Department of Health and Family Welfare officials could not be reached for comment on the matter. Sources, however, indicated that the regularisation process had already commenced.
The NMSA reiterated its commitment to peaceful and democratic agitation, but emphasised that the issue struck at the heart of public service integrity. “If recruitment rules are diluted once, they can be diluted again. That will destroy confidence in the system,” the association said.
