Government servants in Nagaland will face stern penal and disciplinary action if they post “seditious or subversive” content on social media, according to a communiqué from governor R.N. Ravi’s office.

T. Mhabemo Yanthan, commissioner and secretary to the governor, had in an official communiqué to chief secretary Jan-e-Alam on January 16, informed about “some” government servants “indulging in seditious and subversive writings challenging the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country” and posting them on social media platforms.

The communiqué also refers to one such alleged writing by “some” H. Inato Jimomi Naga of the animal husbandry and veterinary department doing the rounds on social media. It also mentions that Yanthan has been “directed” to request the state government to take “serious” cognisance of such misconduct and “initiate appropriate” legal and disciplinary action against “delinquent” government servants. All department heads may be sensitised on the issue, he stated.

Such acts by a government servant constitutes a serious offence under the penal law and gross misconduct under service conduct rules inviting criminal prosecution and disciplinary action including dismissal from service, the communiqué said.

A copy of the letter was also marked to Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, suggesting Ravi has kept the central government in the loop or he may have been directed by the Centre to act against government employees posting alleged seditious content.

An official said the governor’s directive is only a reiteration of what is already a part of conduct rules of government servants. Another official hoped that efforts are also made by all stakeholders to find an amicable and honourable solution to the Naga political problem because a settlement will automatically curb such behaviour. Ravi is also the interlocutor of the talks between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M).

Reacting to the directive, Opposition NPF legislator C. Sazo said that as governor, Ravi may be right, but as the ‘interlocutor’ of the Government of India for the Naga peace talks he seemed to have become one-sided and taking extreme steps. “Nagas want an honourable solution, but not under suppressions. Lastly, a government employee should remain within the bounds of the service code of conduct,” Sazo said.

This is the second letter from Ravi’s office to the chief secretary after February 14, 2020, when it had asked the official to create “a database of state government employees’ family members and relatives in underground organisations” by April 2. Details of the police department personnel were to be furnished separately.

The directive to disclose the underground links of employees came to light in July last year with the Neiphiu Rio-led government clarifying that it had asked them (employees) to declare if any of their relatives was associated with any underground outfit under the direction of Ravi.

The peace process to resolve the Naga political problem has got stuck after ties between Ravi and NSCN (I-M) soured last year. The outfit has been in ceasefire since 1997 and had signed a framework agreement to resolve the problem in 2015.

The relations between the outfit, which remains firm on a separate Naga flag and constitution as part of the final deal, and Ravi started souring after a letter was written by the interlocutor to chief minister Rio on June 16, 2020, criticising the law and order situation with “armed gangs” allegedly “challenging the legitimacy of the state government”. Rio responded by asserting that Ravi’s assessment of the law and order situation was not factual.