Kohima | August 19 : The Agitation called by All Nagaland Ad hoc Teachers Union took an ugly turn this after noon. It is reported that the Office Bearers of the union had a meeting with the Commissioner & Secretary and the School Education Minister at the former’s office chamber this morning regarding regularization of genuine ad hoc teachers. In the meantime, the Union had also organized a peaceful agitation at the office premises of Directorate School Education for the second day.
President ANATU said that the government has given one month time assurance to complete the process of regularization of ad hoc genuine teachers. While the ANATU officials were having a meeting inside the Education Directorate, sources said some unidentified people in an inebriated state disrupted the peaceful agitation being held outside and created chaos which led to confrontation with police personnel.
The incident occurred after the agitation was officially suspended for a period of 30 days on the assurance of the government that the demands of the ANATU would be met. Concerning the issue of unidentified persons disrupting the peaceful agitation, the Union has condemned such acts of uncivilized behavior and expressed its inability to identify the miscreants since it happened outside the agitation arena.
Taking the law into their own hands and without fully comprehending the situation, the police reportedly lathi charged the gathered agitators and went to the extent of using tear gas shells. Eyewitnesses said that in the ensuing melee the police harassed even the innocent public and some passing students were reportedly beaten up. Business establishments nearby were forced to shut down and traffic came to a standstill as chaos spread across the area. The OC’s windshield was also broken in the confusion. Thirteen agitators are reported to have been arrested and have been locked up in North Police station.
Meanwhile, a press note issued by Kevi Vizo Advisor, 9th Kohima Town ACCC has expressed surprise with regard to what it termed as “the unwarranted police action led by Kohima SDPO”. The press note stated that the Kohima police personnel had harassed the general public under the pretext of nabbing or chasing some unknown elements in Kohima Town. The press note claimed that the police personnel started harassing the innocent public, pedestrians and also forcing the business establishment to close down.
NSF condemns police violence; backs ANATU demand
Kohima | August 19 : The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) strongly condemned the untoward incident that happened in Kohima town today ‘where the peaceful dharna of ANATU at the education department was turned into a violent pandemonium by the police personnel who were deployed to the site to monitor the situation.’
“The police personnel supposed to control the situation caught a verbal flared up with the ANATU members and then turned their rages against the public creating chaos through the whole stretch of Kohima town, wherein, in the ensuing mayhem many unaware innocent pedestrians were beaten up with no faults, many of the shops were damaged...
...and the entire shops in the vicinity were forced to down the shutters, bringing the whole town to a standstill,” NSF said in a release.
The Federation questioned the policing nature of the personnel particularly, the officer in command, “when they were deployed to safeguard the security and interest of the general public they themselves had become a threat to the society.”
The Federation said that it will not tolerate any such kind of harassments made to the public.
Taking a strong exception over the ugly incident, the Federation impressed upon the competent authority to rein in more decent disciplinary measures within the ranks and files of the police department.
Moreover, the Federation also strongly reiterated its solidarity and support to the demands of the ANATU whose services deserved to be regularized. “However, in the process NSF also appeals to ANATU not to take law into their hand while pursuing their genuine legitimate rights,” according to a release issued by NSF vice president Sinhilo Thong and educational secretary Chipakhuyi Rhakho.
