DIMAPUR, JULY 9 (MExN): The Nagaland State Government has issued a self declaration form for all government employees to reveal if their family members and relatives are in any “Naga underground organization.”
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In a memorandum issued on July 7, the Nagaland Chief Secretary stated that “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 attached herewith, from all Government servants under his/her department/office regarding family members and relatives in the aforementioned organizations.
The same is to be submitted to the Home Department, Political Branch latest by August 7.
The document, marked ‘confidential’ and issued on July 7, surfaced on WhatsApp on July 9 and has since been doing the rounds.
The self declaration form, which was also leaked on social media on July 9, sought the name of the government employee’s family member or relative who is member of an underground organization, the nature of relationship with the government employee, the name of the organization to which he/she belongs and the position/rank the person concerned holds in the organization.
“Family member shall consist of spouse, sons/daughters, sibling and parents of the Government employee. Relative shall consist of anyone who is directly related to any of the family member of the Government employee,” the self declaration form states.
Principal Secretary, Home, Abhijit Sinha when contacted by The Morung Express confirmed that the office memorandum and the self declaration form were official government documents. Asked on the circumstances which led to the issuance of the memo, the Principal Secretary stated that he was “not in a position to comment.”
However, while the move has come as a surprise to many, it is not a new exercise, according to a retired official familiar with these kinds of activities. These kinds of exercises were conducted discreetly by Special Branch (INT) of Nagaland Police and SIB, both pre and post-ceasefire.
While the earlier exercises were done discreetly, without the government employees themselves knowing that their background checks are being done, this is the first time an order for self-declaration is being issued, the retired official said on condition of anonymity.
Corroborating the statement that this is the first time the government is making such a move, a senior retired bureaucrat said he did not have any knowledge of such orders or requirement during his service tenure spanning almost 20 years.
He however said that the order seems fair enough as “the Government has the right to know whom they are employing.”
