NIA summons former Nagaland CM Zeliang
The NIA has summoned former Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang to Delhi on March 13 to join its probe into the alleged extortion and funding of the banned National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang), the anti-talk faction of the extremist outfit.
However, Zeliang’s close aide, Azeu Namcyn Hau, calling the move “political vendetta”, said the investigation agency has been told that Zeliang will not be able to travel on Tuesday as the newly elected Assembly begins its session on that day.
NIA officials in Guwahati said they not heard anything from Zeliang yet. They also did not share details on why the summonses were sent now.
“The timing of the summons is suspect,” Hau said, stressing that the agency needs to understand that “as the head of the NPF legislature party, it is very important for him to be present in the Assembly from March 13 to March 26. The speaker also has to be elected by the new assembly.”
Hau said two summonses were sent to the chief minister’s office on Monday — one at 12.15 am and another at 10.15 am — but none to his residence.
Zeliang refused to comment. Earlier, the NIA summons, issued by its Guwahati office on March 11, had asked Zeliang to appear before the agency’s officers
GUWAHATI:
on March 13 at 10 am with relevant documents of the payments given to NSCN(K) from government departments.
The agency had on February 13 summoned Zeliang’s officer on special duty (OSD) Ruokuovizo, and two public relation officers in the former CMO, Karibo and Kuirang, ahead of the state assembly elections.
The NIA had registered a case in August 2016 to probe extortion activities by NSCN(K) and arrested four government officials in 2017 in connection with the case. The agency, in its charge sheet in 2017, claimed it had recovered incriminating documents which proved the involvement of NSCN(K) members in extortion activities done in connivance with government officials. It had established that Isak Sumi, the self-styled finance administrator of the outfit, had ordered the illegal “tax” collection for the outfit.
Victor Swu, another member of the outfit, was arrested for his involvement in extortion activities, but was later bailed out.