Nagaland Minister Temjen Imna Along Clarifies After Mumbai Police Launches Probe

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has initiated a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) into Temjen Imna Along, the Cabinet Minister of Nagaland and state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This development follows an order from the Bombay High Court issued by Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan during a hearing on a petition filed by Mumbai-based Hazel Mercantile Limited.

According to Hazel Mercantile Limited, between 2015 and 2018, when Along was not in public office, he approached the company to invest in Nagaland. On April 21, 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, resulting in an investment of approximately Rs 125 crore by the company. The MoU also included contracts for construction and agreements for the supply of rice and sugar.

The company alleged that, after meeting all supply commitments and raising invoices, Along began evading contact with their representatives. Hazel Mercantile Limited filed a complaint with the EOW on February 9, 2024, following a lack of response from Along.

Given Along’s position as a Cabinet Minister, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sangramsinh Nishandar of the STF forwarded the complaint to the Nagaland Lokayukt on June 24, 2024. However, the company sought a stay on this referral, arguing it was unnecessary.

During the court hearing, Additional Public Prosecutor Kranti Hiwrale informed that the Nagaland Lokayukt had declared the alleged transactions outside its jurisdiction, as they occurred before Along assumed public office. Consequently, the STF EOW commenced a Preliminary Enquiry.

The court has adjourned the hearing for eight weeks to allow investigators time to proceed. Justice Chavan praised Deputy Commissioner Nishandar as "straightforward and devoted to work."

However, Temjen Imna Along clarified that the investigation pertains to a “business dispute” from before he took office. According to the minister, the matter is subjudice and currently under the purview of the court.

He emphasized that such disputes are normal in business and expressed hope that the court will resolve the matter. Along also noted that the ruling government leaders are aware of the issue.

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