Kohima, Oct 16: Government offices across Nagaland remained closed for the second consecutive day on Wednesday as the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) continued its pen-down strike against the proposed induction of a non-NCS officer into the IAS cadre.

The JCC, representing five major state government employee associations — CANSSEA, NIDA, NSSA, NF&ASA, and FONSESA — launched the third phase of its protest on Tuesday, demanding strict adherence to merit-based selection norms for IAS induction.

A JCC spokesperson said employees across directorates, districts, and sub-divisional offices fully supported the strike, which remained peaceful throughout the day.

Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen held a meeting with JCC leaders on Wednesday. The associations urged the government to withdraw the non-state cadre officer’s name from the IAS panel sent to the UPSC and to reinstate the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) clause in future inductions.

The JCC reminded the government to follow Office Memorandums of 2001 and 2016, which mandate recruitment only through NPSC or open advertisement. The chief secretary assured that the matter would be placed before the state Cabinet on Thursday.

The JCC said it would decide on further action based on the Cabinet’s decision, coinciding with the end of the current phase of their protest.