The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned three officials of the Nagaland Chief Minister’s Office for questioning in connection with an investigation into alleged diversion of government funds to the banned terrorist organisation NSCN(K).
An NIA official said the officials, including Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang’s Officer on Special Duty, Ruokuovizo Chupno, had been asked to appear before the chief investigating officer Jasveer Singh in Guwahati on Thursday in the year-and-a-half-old case.
Election eve move
The State is going to the polls on February 27. The Nagaland People’s Front of Mr. Zeliang and the BJP are in alliance, but for the elections, the BJP has tied up with a breakaway group, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party.
Since August 2016, the NIA has been investigating cases against various State government departments that allegedly paid levies to the Naga National Political Groups. Seven government officials have been put on trial in the case so far.
State government employees took out a rally in Nagaland on November 21 last year, demanding that the the Union government withdraw the NIA investigations.
In October, the NIA arrested former Tourism Director Purakhu Angami, Additional Director of Agriculture V. Aza, Joint Director of Irrigation Hutoi Sema and Fisheries Superintendent Kekhriesatuo Tep on charges of alleged extortions and illegal tax collections on behalf of the NSCN(K). The NIA says Isac Sumi, self-styled brigadier of the banned outfit, has ordered the collections.
