3-day pen down strike in Nagaland begins Oct 14 over IAS induction row

Guwahati: The Confederation of All Nagaland State Services Employees’ Association (CANSSEA) has announced a three-day Pen Down Strike starting October 14, 2025, across all government offices in Nagaland.

The strike protests the inclusion of a candidate outside the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) in the select list of Non-State Civil Service (Non-SCS) officers chosen for induction into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

In an official circular, CANSSEA expressed strong dissatisfaction with the state government’s perceived “silence and indifferent attitude” despite multiple appeals to uphold merit-based selection.

The association accused the government of undermining meritocracy and allowing “backdoor officers” to enter one of the country’s most prestigious services.

The decision to initiate the strike followed recommendations from the Confederation’s Core Committee and Action Committee. The protest demands focus on two main points:

• The removal of the non-NPSC candidate from the Non-SCS officers’ list for IAS induction, which was finalized on September 25, 2025.
• The reinstatement of the Vacancy Circular dated March 10, 2025, to ensure transparent and merit-based selection for future Non-SCS IAS inductions.

CANSSEA assured that the strike would remain peaceful and that essential and emergency services would continue without disruption.

The association instructed departments to finalize the strike’s operational procedures and requested members maintain workplace attendance while observing official protocols during the protest.

Alongside the Pen Down Strike, the association will continue other protest actions, including black ribbon and poster campaigns.

CANSSEA stated it resorted to this strike after previous representations failed to receive a response from the state government.