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Five Naga tribes escalate statewide protests over outdated job reservation policy

Protesters have scheduled a peaceful dharna outside the Nagaland Civil Secretariat on June 2 before a government review meeting on June 3.

The tribes --- Angami, Ao, Lotha, Sumi and Rengma --- organised rallies in Kohima, Mokokchung, Wokha, Zunheboto, Tseminyu, Chümoukedima, Niuland and Dimapur

Overview

  • On May 29, Angami, Ao, Lotha, Rengma and Sumi tribes held rallies across Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchung and other districts to demand a review of the 48-year-old policy.
  • The Five Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy has warned of intensified agitation if their calls for change go unheard and will lead the June 2 dharna.
  • Protesters say the policy, introduced in 1977 for a ten-year term and extended indefinitely in 1989 without review, now discriminates against tribes representing over 55% of the Scheduled Tribe population.
  • Under the current rule, 25% of non-technical, non-gazetted posts are reserved for seven tribes classified as educationally and economically very backward.
  • Demonstrators are urging the state government to either scrap the outdated policy or allocate the unreserved quota exclusively to the five tribes ahead of the June 3 meeting.