Nagaland Police personnel perform a drill during an inter-departmental meet. The Home Department on October 7 attributed the non-uniformity in the recent constable recruitment process to ongoing enumeration-related issues. (File Photo: For Representational Purposes Only)
ISSUE AT A GLANCE
What? Non-inclusion of four non-Naga tribes: Garos, Kacharis, Mikirs/Karbis, & Kukis)
Why? Recruitment put on hold pending completion of an ‘Enumeration Exercise’ notified in September 2024 to verify Indigenous status.
Legal context: Exercise stayed by Gauhati High Court after a writ petition by tribal bodies; matter sub judice.
Affected posts: 24 reserved posts for the four non-Naga tribes; 1,176 posts proceeding as planned.
Background: The Constitution (Nagaland) ST Order, 1970, recognises the four tribes as STs if they were residents before December 1, 1963.
Government stance: Verification is necessary to ensure only genuine pre-1963 settlers and their descendants receive IICs and benefits.
Kohima, October 7 (MExN): Amid concerns over the non-inclusion of four Non-Naga Tribes in the recent recruitment process for police constable posts in the State Home Department, the Government of Nagaland today clarified that the matter has been put on hold due to ongoing enumeration-related issues.
The four tribes, namely Garos, Kacharis, Mikirs (Karbis) and Kukis, are officially recognised as Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland with certain conditions.
The Government of Nagaland has put on hold the recruitment process for police constable posts earmarked for the four Non-Naga Tribes “until the completion of an Enumeration Exercise meant to determine the eligibility of members of these tribes as Indigenous Inhabitants of the State,” the Home Department clarified in a statement issued via the State DIPR.
According to the Home Department, the Constitution (Nagaland) Scheduled Tribes Order, 1970, recognises that apart from the Naga tribes, these four Non-Naga communities are also Scheduled Tribes (ST) of Nagaland, provided they are residents of the State.
The order also acknowledged the presence of these tribes who had been inhabiting Nagaland prior to its creation on December 1, 1963.
Accordingly, members of the four tribes and their direct descendants are entitled to obtain ST Certificates and subsequently Indigenous Inhabitant Certificates (IICs), which allow access to employment and other privileges available to Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland, the statement noted.
However, the Home Department stressed that this entitlement applies “only to those who had settled within the boundaries of the State before its formation.”
It also pointed out that since these tribes reside in other North-East States, many of which share borders with Nagaland, cases of migration into Nagaland after Statehood cannot be ruled out.
“Some individuals may have been wrongly issued ST and IIC certificates, making it necessary to identify and verify those who had genuinely settled in the State before 1963 along with their direct descendants,” it maintained.
To address this concern, the State Government, after “detailed” consultations and examination of the findings of the RIIN (Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland) Commission, decided to conduct an Enumeration Exercise of the Kuki, Kachari, Garo and Mikhir tribes who had settled in Nagaland prior to December 1, 1963, the statement held.
The exercise was notified on September 20, 2024; however, a writ petition was subsequently filed in the Gauhati High Court by tribal organisations and bodies representing the four Non-Naga Tribes.
Consequently, the Home Department informed that a stay order was issued on the conduct of the enumeration exercise, rendering the matter sub judice.
“As a result of the pending legal case, the Government has decided that the ongoing police constable recruitment, which is open to all Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland, will for now proceed only with the 1,176 posts allotted to the Indigenous Naga Tribes,” it added.
It further stated that the 24 posts reserved for the four Non-Naga Tribes will be taken up after the enumeration-related issues are resolved.
The Home Department further asserted that the proposed exercise is crucial for identifying the genuine Indigenous Inhabitants among the four Non-Naga Tribes who are entitled to IICs and other associated rights, particularly for State Government employment.
