Kohima, July 6: The controversy surrounding the vandalism of a Dimapur restaurant and allegations over a “freewill contribution” to the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) took a dramatic turn with the arrest of the student body’s former finance secretary and the five-year banishment of the restaurant owner from his native village.

Katho P. Awomi, who recently served as the NSF’s Finance Secretary, surrendered before Dimapur Police in connection with the June 30 vandalism at Prysm Lounge on Golaghat Road. He was arrested following an FIR registered on July 2 based on a complaint filed a day earlier.

The NSF had earlier relieved Awomi of all responsibilities pending an inquiry into the incident.

The case gained widespread attention after CCTV footage circulating on social media allegedly showed Awomi and three others damaging property inside Prysm Lounge with a baseball bat. Police have not officially clarified whether Awomi remains in custody, with conflicting reports suggesting he may have been released on personal bond.

In a parallel development, the Tsutoho Village Kukami Authority in Zunheboto district issued an order banishing Tito Yepthomi, owner of Prysm Lounge and president of the Dimapur District Auto Drivers’ Union and Dimapur Restaurant Union, from the village for five years.

The village authority said the action followed repeated warnings over conduct that allegedly violated customary practices and village resolutions. It also alleged that the restaurant had been associated with activities affecting public peace and was inconsistent with provisions of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989, bringing disrepute to both the village and the wider Naga community.

Under the order, Yepthomi has been barred from entering Tsutoho village or participating in any community programmes or meetings for the next five years.

The episode has also reignited debate over a June 28 resolution by the Dimapur Restaurant Union to make a voluntary contribution of ₹5,000 each from member restaurants to the NSF. Yepthomi had clarified earlier that the student body neither demanded nor solicited the money and that the contribution was initiated voluntarily by restaurant owners as a gesture of support.

The vandalism case has triggered wider fallout within student organisations, with reports that the All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) has also distanced itself from its former president in the wake of the controversy.