NIA summon to TR Zeliang could also be warning for new Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio

Modi govt may use the NIA to keep politicians in check; clamp down on corruption & extortion in Nagaland

Naga Republic News Analysis

In what must have come as a surprise even to the newly elected government in Nagaland, the Government of India’s anti-terror agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) issued summons to TR Zeliang, the outgoing Chief Minister of Nagaland on what has come to be known as the terror funding probe against the outlawed National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang).

With this summon to TR Zeliang, who has just vacated office as the outgoing Chief Minister, the NIA could well be also sending out a warning message to the incoming incumbent Neiphiu Rio and his government that Delhi will be keeping a surveillance on the expected fund flow to the State that is meant for development.

A theory that is doing the rounds is that the NIA will be used by the Union Government to control both the Chief Minister (Neiphiu Rio) as well as the leader of the opposition (TR Zeliang). As per observation of The Naga Republic, the Narendra Modi government in Delhi may use the NIA to keep politicians in check and clamp down on corruption and extortion in Nagaland.

“At present, it appears that the leader of the opposition is the target, if Rio steps on the Union Government’s toes, then he too may find himself in the crosshairs”, says a news analysis carried in the online portal newsclick. According to the portal, the NIA investigation may also be a means to tighten the purse strings of the NSCN (IM) to ensure they accept the Final Agreement with no scope for restarting an insurgency.

The Government of India and its intelligence agencies are very much aware of the nexus that exist between ‘elements’ in the Nagaland government with armed groups. It is no secret that former Congress Chief Minister SC Jamir was known for his proximity to the NSCN (K) while his successor Neiphiu Rio was seen as close to the NSCN (IM).

Despite years of running parallel governments by the armed groups, the terror funding investigation began only in 2016 when the Union Home Ministry assigned the investigation to the NIA after a cadre of the NSCN (K) was arrested in Dimapur. The cadre described himself as the Finance Secretary and oversaw the collection of ‘tax’ from the Kohima and Dimapur areas. Several incriminating documents were found in his possession relating to payments made by various government departments, businesses and individuals in Nagaland.

The NIA, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), also seized incriminating documents from up to 14 different government departments which showed payments made up to Rs. 2 crores to the NSCN(K), as well as the NSCN(IM) which is in talks with the Union Government. The present probe of the NIA is on the extortion network of the NSCN (K) in Nagaland.

Interestingly the case was re-registered at the NIA Branch Office, Guwahati on August 18 2016 in compliance with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), order No. 11011/23/2016-IS.IV dated 17.08.2016. It is clear therefore that the political directive had come from the MHA asking the NIA to register the case taken up by the Dimapur based Sub-Urban Police station Case No. 90/16 dated 01.08.2016.

For the new political dispensation in Nagaland, in such cases taken up by the NIA, the State government is expected, as per rules, to extend all assistance and co-operation to the Agency for investigation of the scheduled offences under section 9 of the NIA Act.

The summons on the former Chief Minister by the NIA to come to New Delhi for questioning in connection with the terror funding case came just days after installation of Neiphiu Rio-led People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government which had the opposition Naga Peoples Front (NPF) fuming that it smacked of “political vendetta”.

In a hard hitting reaction, NPF through its press and media bureau alleged that a “devious game” was being played against its leader Zeliang by NIA and accused the agency, which was tasked with looking into terror activities in the country, was instead being used as a political tool.

Mention may be made that the movement against illegal taxation and corruption was started in an organized form by a group of public activists called Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT). It is obvious that much of the credit should go to ACAUT for the recent clamp down on extortion or illegal taxation.

When the first major ACAUT rally was held on October 31, 2013, at Dimapur’s iconic Clock Tower, the collective angst of that public gathering was directed at the “illegal taxation” collected by the various armed Naga political groups. Consequently, the gathering decided to adopt the now-famous ‘one government, one tax’ resolution that day.

To back up its demands, ACAUT formed a fact-finding committee to study taxes levied by Naga armed groups, as well as a ‘High Power Committee’, backed by the state government, to investigate the issue further. The report of the High Power Committee, which was submitted to the last NPF led government, was never made public for whatever reasons.

In Nagaland extortion notices are routinely sent to businesses, contractors, individuals and bureaucrats in the state government. No Chief Minister in Nagaland would have been unaware of such ‘extortion network’ in the State, including the latest two TR Zeliang and his predecessor, Neiphiu Rio who is back at the helm of affairs.

The Modi government may well use the NIA to keep a close check on the wide spread corruption and extortion in Nagaland. The repeated summons send to the Nagaland Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) by the NIA, though issued against the former CM TR Zeliang, all indication points to a similar warning for the new government under Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.