Kohima: Government offices across Nagaland remained closed for the second consecutive day on Wednesday as the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) continued its pen-down strike opposing the proposed induction of a non-NCS officer into the IAS cadre.

The JCC, an umbrella body of five major state government employee associations CANSSEA, NIDA, NSSA, NF&ASA, and FONSESA launched the third phase of its protest on Tuesday. The committee has demanded that the government strictly follow merit-based norms in IAS inductions and uphold the role of the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) in the selection process.

A JCC spokesperson said employees across all departments, districts, and sub-divisional offices extended full support to the strike, which remained peaceful throughout the day.

Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen met JCC representatives on Wednesday to discuss their demands. During the meeting, the associations reiterated their call for the withdrawal of the non-state cadre officer’s name from the IAS panel submitted to the UPSC. They also urged the reinstatement of the NPSC clause for all future inductions.

The JCC reminded the government of Office Memorandums issued in 2001 and 2016, which mandate that recruitment to such posts should be conducted only through the NPSC or open advertisement.

According to sources, the chief secretary assured that the issue would be placed before the state Cabinet on Thursday for deliberation.

The JCC said it would decide on its next course of action based on the outcome of the Cabinet meeting, which coincides with the end of the current phase of its agitation.