The Naga Students Federation (NSF) on Thursday demanded that the Nagaland Lokayukta complete the investigation into the alleged misappropriation of technical scholarship funds of Rs 1.32 crore in the directorate of technical education of the state within two weeks.
The NSF also demanded that the chargesheeted officials be immediately suspended.
The federation, in a release issued by its president Ninoto Awomi and general secretary Liremo K. Kikon, said it would follow the progress of the investigation and expected its report and chargesheet within the stipulated time.
The All Nagaland College Students Union (ANCSU) began hunger strike in front of Nagaland secretariat in Kohima from Tuesday over the issue among its other demands but withdrew it on Wednesday following verbal assurance by the state government to solve them.
The federation said it held an emergency meeting in Kohima to discuss the five issues raised by the ANCSU and decided to press the government to resolve them.
The federation also made it clear to the government that verbal commitment without action will not be accepted by it.
It referred to state’s higher and technical education minister Temjen Imna Along’s recent statement that the investigation into the scholarship misappropriation issue, which was earlier referred to the vigilance police, is now before the Lokayukta.
The NSF said under the normal provisions of law, sufficient time for the investigation has already elapsed and to give two more weeks to complete the probe is reasonable.
On the ANCSU’s demand for setting up of a nodal cell to implement all kinds of scholarships, the federation said the cell should be constituted and it should function as a separate entity of the higher and technical education department.
Regarding the demand of the ANCSU on Kohima Science College land encroachment issue, the NSF asked the government to give it the status and action taken report within 30 days.
The federation also demanded that all land encroachment issues in the district colleges and polytechnic institutions must be immediately recommended for proper land survey and land belonging to the institutions must be immediately settled.
On the ANCSU’s demand for advertising the 110 posts of assistant professors, the NSF demanded that the government issue public advertisement within two months calling for all qualified and interested candidates to participate in the recruitment process.
The federation said the government should take a matured approach in dealing with the genuine issues that the student community has raised under the banner of ANCSU.