Kohima: The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) on Tuesday staged a demonstration in Kohima, objecting to the inclusion of Vatsala Phangal, a candidate allegedly not indigenous to Nagaland, for a state medical seat under the NEET 2025 Nagaland quota.
NSF president Medovi Rhi said the federation was “deeply disheartened” that a candidate without indigenous status was considered for one of the 42 MBBS seats reserved for Nagaland.
“These seats belong to the indigenous people of our state. Our future cannot be decided by outsiders,” Rhi asserted, calling on the public to support their stance.
The candidate, Vatsala Phangal, who secured 455 marks with an All India Rank of 1,13,803 and State Rank 1 under Category-III, is the daughter of an Army officer currently posted in Nagaland.
While her application listed a Kohima address, NSF claimed she hails from Haryana and does not belong to any recognized Naga tribe.
Clarifying that the protest was not a personal attack, Rhi said the agitation was to protect the rights of Naga students.
“One individual’s case cannot override the rights of an entire community,” he added.
The federation announced it would continue to oppose the candidature and prevent Phangal from collecting admission forms from the technical education department.
The protest follows a series of legal developments. On July 28, the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court issued an interim order allowing Phangal to take part in NEET-UG 2025 Nagaland State Quota counseling while directing the authorities to keep one medical seat vacant until the case is resolved.
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The technical education department had earlier rejected Phangal’s application, stating that she neither belongs to any indigenous Naga community nor holds a Scheduled Tribe certificate.
State quota seats are reserved exclusively for indigenous inhabitants who can produce both certificates.
Phangal’s family challenged the rejection in court, arguing that she had studied in Nagaland and appeared for the examination under the state code, making her eligible.
However, on Tuesday, the Principal Bench of the Gauhati High Court stayed the interim order issued by the Kohima Bench and scheduled the next hearing in two weeks.
