Nagaland government asks its employees to declare if they have any family member in rebel groups

GUWAHATI: After Nagaland governor RN Ravi’s letter to state chief minister Neiphiu Rio expressing unhappiness with rampant extortion by “armed gangs” who are running a parallel government, state chief secretary Temjen Toy has now asked all state government employees to declare if they have any family members among the ranks and files of underground groups and furnish their details by August 7.
“As per instructions all the administrative heads of departments and all the heads of departments are directed to obtain information in the self-declaration form from all government servants under his/her department/office regarding family members and relatives in underground organizations and submit to the Home Department Political Branch latest by August 7. 2020 positively,” chief secretary’s letter states.
The self-declaration form requires all state government employees to give replies to five queries—“is there any family member or close relative a member of a Naga Underground Organization,” “If Yes: Name of person who is member of an UG Organization — Nature of Relationship with the Govt. Employee - Name of Underground Organization of which he/she is a member - Position/Rank presently held in the UG Organization”
The self-declaration form clarifies that “Family member shall consist of spouse, sons/daughters, sibling and parents of the Govt. Employee” and “Relative shall consist of anyone who is directly related to any of the family member of the Govt. employee.”
The chief secretary’s order mentions underground outfits, but technically all insurgent groups of Nagaland have come over ground and, barring Naga National Council, are in peace talks with centre in which Ravi is the interlocutor.
The BJP-backed Nagaland government has recently categorically rejected governor Ravi’s assessment that the law and order situation in the state is “grim” and has “collapsed” by saying that his findings “do not appear to be factual.”
Ravi has invoke Article 371 (A) (1) (b) the state government and taken control of the law and order subject of the state. Ravi, in his letter to Rio, had pointed that “dozen organized armed gangs” are “brazenly running their respective so called governments, challenging the legitimacy of the state government without any resistance from the law and order machinery has created a crisis of confidence in the system,” and committing “rampant extortions and violence.”
NSCN (IM) and other seven groups, who call themselves, Naga National Political Groups, earlier said they were not committing extortion but collecting “legitimate taxes” and taking contributions by people.