Appts in accordance with established rules & standing guideline, says DGP
As announced by chief minister, Neiphiu Rio during the recently concluded Assembly session of setting up a panel to review appointment system in the police department, Nagaland DGP, T. John Longkumer Saturday informed that the state government through a notification No. POL/ESTT/RECRUITMENT/1/2020 Dated 20.02.2020, constituted a High Level Committee (HLC) headed by addl. chief secretary level officer.
The committee was tasked to examine and study all matters and procedures relating to recruitment of all ranks outside the purview of the NPSC in Police department and recommend necessary changes/modifications for streamlining as well as for enhancing transparency in the mode and manner of the entire recruitment process. In this regard, Longkumer said that the committee submitted its report to the government, which was now under examination.
Clarification on appts: The DGP, in the statement, also sought to clarify doubts regarding appointments of constables by pointing out the existing legal and procedural provisions.
Citing the Nagaland Police Manual Part-III, Rule 20(A), DGP said unit commanders viz commandants of NAP Battalions and SSPs of DEF were delegated the authority for appointment of Police Constables while the criteria for appointment such as age, physical standards, medical qualification etc. are laid down under Nagaland Police Manual Part– III, Rule 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25.
He said since the department primarily deals with law and order duties, vacancies cannot be kept for long. As such, DGP cited the P&AR Office Memorandum No. AR-3/Gen147/2007 (Pt), Dated 7th Dec’2016, which has exempted the department from the purview of the OM– setting out the procedure for filling up Grade-III & IV Posts in government departments. However, in order to streamline excess appointment of constables/NCEs, DGP stated that the government had issued an Order No. POL/ESTT/MISC/6/2018, Dated 5th Sept 2018, to constitute Scrutiny Committee, headed by IGP (Hqr) with DIGP (Hqr) and AIGP (Adm) as members.
The committee scrutinizes the applications received by the units and at PHQ, the committee after thorough scrutiny of the applications, obtain the concurrence of the DGP and forward the eligible candidates to various units.
Upon receipt of the selected list from PHQ, the unit commanders appoint the candidates after ensuring that the eligible criteria are fulfilled. The DGP therefore clarified that all appointments were done against the clear existing vacancies.
Even though there was no mandatory provision for an open recruitment in the Nagaland Police manual or any other order issued by the government, he said the department, for the first time in its history, in the absence of no new battalion creation, conducted an open recruitment rally in 2019 to fill up of 206 regular vacancies in the post of constables.
The DGP stated that since there was no training session for the year 2019, either in the NAPTC or PTS, the recruit constables trainees (RCTs) during the year 2020 was an accumulation of backlogs of open recruitment and those appointments made by the unit commanders through the PHQ screening committee and includes all such appointments from last few years.
In the whole process, DGP said that the backward quota and 33% women reservation quota for appointments in the DEF was followed strictly.
In view of the above, the department categorically clarified that “none of the constable appointments made in the department are “backdoor appointments” and the appointments which are made by the respective unit commanders are in accordance with the established Rules, Notifications and Standing Guidelines of the Government.”
Further, DGP said that appointments were made in the same capacity and authority in practice since the creation of the department.
Therefore, DGP wished to inform the public at large, that any attempt by any unions/associations or individual to delay or stop the training of the newly appointed constables will adversely impact the functioning of the department in particular and the law and order in general.
He also maintained that the training institutes— NAPTC and PTS located at Police Complex Chumukedima, were professional centers of excellence and had been conducting training of recruit constables for the last many years catering to the need of the state at large.