NSCN wants ‘tax’ from govt staff

Nagaland Central govt employees ‘reluctant’ to report extortion.

The National Social Council of Nagalim (I-M) holding peace-talks with government of India has intensified its extortion drive to what they call “annual professional tax” and serving notices to Central government employees serving in Nagaland.

In what came to light recently when the government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim, the political wing of the NSCN (I-M), served notices to the engineering department of the Northeast Frontier Railway based in Dimapur.

The extortion notices served by a zonal collecting officer of Naga army self-styled Lt. Col Nungsang said, “The concerned HoD/officer in charge of the department is requested to inform all the officers/ staff to deposit the amount i.e. 2 per cent per month of the total emolument of the salary transaction.”

The extortion notice of the NSCN (I-M), a copy also in possession of this newspaper and published here, said, “This is for general information for all the employees that annual professional tax for the fiscal year 2016-17 may kindly be submitted to the appointed collector of the Naga army finance department.”

Though the collection of self-styled tax from state government employees and business establishments of the state is not a new phenomenon, security sources told this newspaper that the NSCN (I-M) has now started targeting the Central government employees too.

Informing that the incident has created panic among the Central government officers serving in Nagaland, security sources said that it has also been brought to the notice of the home ministry.

Pointing out that it may hamper the progress on various Central government projects in Nagaland, security sources said that many Central government officers are reluctant to take posting in Nagaland.

Indicating that many employees are reluctant to report such extortions, security sources revealed that the NSCN (I-M) defines it their legitimate right as they claim to have been running a parallel administration in the state.

Security sources said that state government was also aware about the ongoing extortion drive of the NSCN (I-M) but stuck to the refrain of ceasefire monitoring committee, which is responsible for intervening into such illegal acts of the Naga army.