The Civil Service Association of the Indian State of Nagaland has hit out at the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS) as a “suitcase bureaucracy”, alleging that officers posted to the remote area leave on any pretext they can find.
This follows criticisms from the Central Government in New Delhi who say the State is illegally appointing non-IAS officers as district tax collectors.
In a statement, the Association said that the killing of two IAS officers in Nagaland, in 1974 and 1995 was still reflecting on the State today.
“These two tragic incidents greatly shaped bureaucracy in Nagaland. It began the chapter of what journalists would go on to call the era of ‘suitcase bureaucrats’ — IAS officers posted to the State would leave on any pretext they could find,” the statement said.
“Some applied for leave and extended their leave for years,” it said.
“Those that could, applied for deputation roles elsewhere and some managed to stay away on deputation without ever coming back to serve in the State. Many officers changed to another cadre altogether.”
The statement said some IAS officers were so reluctant to serve in Nagaland that they just disappeared for years on end without any explanation.
The Association alleged that the trend of “disappearing” IAS officers continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving its management to State Public Service officers.
However, an officer from the IAS Association, who did not want to be identified, rebutted the claims.
“Officers from all States go on deputations, and transfers keep happening. That’s the nature of the All India Services. It doesn’t make anyone a ‘suitcase bureaucrat’,” the officer said.
“This is a serious issue of the State Civil Service making up reasons to justify an illegal practice,” they said.
Kohima, 30 July 2020
