Nagaland medical students to continue protest over regularisation of COVID appointees

The Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA) has announced that it will continue its peaceful protest on September 1 against the state government’s decision to regularise 280 contractual employees appointed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The protest comes in response to a notification issued by the Department of Health & Family Welfare, on August 18. The students argue that the move undermines fairness and transparency in government recruitment.

According to the NMSA, protesters will gather at 9:30 AM at the Secretariat Bus Stand in Kohima before marching in a procession to the Department of Health & Family Welfare, where the demonstration will take place.

The association has urged all student bodies, civil society organisations, and concerned citizens of Nagaland to join in solidarity. Organisations are also being encouraged to send representatives to deliver solidarity speeches at the protest site.

In its appeal, the NMSA laid down two key demands:

1. Immediate revocation of Notification No. HFW(A)10/34/2024/145. 
    
2. Immediate requisitioning of all sanctioned posts to NPSC/NSSB, to be filled through open advertisement, written examination, and viva voce as per service rules.

Describing the government’s decision as “unjust and discriminatory,” the association said the protest was not only about their rights but also about protecting fairness, merit, and equal opportunity in the state’s recruitment process.

"It is now or never. Let us raise our voices together against this unjust and discriminatory policy,” the NMSA said in its appeal.