The Nagaland Police has constituted a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of sexual harassment against senior IAS officer Reny Wilfred. The complaint was submitted by employees of the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), where Wilfred serves as Joint Secretary.
The investigation was prompted by a letter submitted to the Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW) by IDAN chairman Abu Metha, a close advisor to the Chief Minister and Secretary General of the ruling NDPP party, which is in coalition with the BJP. The NSCW conducted initial interviews with the complainants and forwarded their statements to the Director General of Police, leading to the registration of an FIR on April 2.
ALSO READ: Call for Cyber Experts: Join FCRF Academy as Trainers and Course Creators
According to police, a preliminary inquiry revealed the commission of a cognizable offence, necessitating a deeper criminal probe. The SIT is led by a senior IPS officer.
Officer Denies Charges, Cites Political Conspiracy
Speaking to reporters in Kohima, Reny Wilfred denied the allegations, calling them a calculated move to oust him from the state. “This process has been short-circuited to ensure a case is filed and fixed,” he stated, pointing out that internal redressal mechanisms, like the Internal Complaints Committee within IDAN and the Secretariat, were bypassed.
“I ask for due process,” he said. “Feel free to arrest me; I am going to be in Nagaland. Allow me time to prove myself.”
Wilfred also claimed that the harassment case mirrors a prior incident during his tenure as District Collector in Noklak district, where he was similarly accused of sexual assault involving two minors. That case, now under trial, followed a chargesheet filed by another SIT in 2021. Wilfred maintains it was retaliation after he attempted to expose alleged child trafficking in the area.
Political Undercurrents and Past Shadows
This isn’t the first time Wilfred’s administrative role has landed him in controversy. In the Noklak case, he challenged the jurisdiction of the trial, citing threats to his safety and bias in the local legal system. His claim of a political witch-hunt resonates more sharply now, as the latest case involves figures close to Nagaland’s power center.
The IDAN chairman, Abu Metha, who forwarded the latest complaint, is not just a bureaucrat but a key political functionary tied to the NDPP-BJP alliance. This has led to questions around the timing, process, and intent behind the case.
The allegations, though grave, are now tangled in a web of procedural lapses, political rivalry, and Wilfred’s own history of unresolved legal trouble. As the SIT begins its probe, the case is likely to test not just the credibility of the officer but also the institutional transparency and political fault lines within Nagaland’s administration.