Even as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) issued fresh summons to former Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang and his then personal secretary K Francis Zeliang, the Special NIA Court in Dimapur DC’s office granted bail to three Nagaland government officials on Wednesday.
Sources said they were granted bail by the NIA court after their two-day remand as the agency did not seek their further custody, sources said.
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The bail was granted to them on the ground that they do not belong to any underground organisation and are only ‘tax payers’. Besides, they can be summoned for questioning as and when required by NIA, sources added,
The three officials were arrested by NIA, Guwahati on March 25 and produced before the NIA Special Court Dimapur on March 16 which remanded them to two-day NIA custody till March 27.
The arrested officials are Director of Agriculture, Kohima, G Ikuto Zhimomi, Executive Engineer of Directorate of Rural Development, Kohima, Ketouzo Peseyie and Divisional Accounts Officer of Directorate of Urban Development, Kohima, Sangtemchuba. The NIA alleged these officials in their official capacity provided substantial amount of money to NSCN (K) by way of contributing government funds, thereby supporting it in furtherance of its unlawful activities.
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Zeliang and his then personal secretary were asked by NIA on Tuesday to appear before it for questioning at its headquarters in New Delhi on March 31. This was the third summon to Zeliang by NIA in connection with alleged diversion of government funds to various Naga underground groups, particularly banned NSCN (K).
The NIA, in two separate notices, asked the duo to be present at 10 am without fail for answering certain questions relating to the matter under investigation along with related documents regarding payments received from government offices.
Though Zeliang was summoned by NIA to Delhi for interrogation earlier, he had written for deferment of the date for his cross examination because of the Nagaland Assembly session which ended on March 26.