The Manipur government on Saturday appointed Mukesh Singh, the former Director General of Police (DGP) of Ladakh, as the state's new DGP and head of the police force. His appointment comes at a time when Manipur's three-year-old ethnic conflict, involving the Meitei, Kuki, and Naga communities, has spread and brought renewed unrest.
Top-Level Reshuffle in Manipur Police
Simultaneously, the state government carried out a major reshuffle at the top level, shunting out Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Ashutosh Kumar Sinha and ADGP (Law & Order) Lupheng Kailun. In their place, Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo has been posted as ADGP in charge of armed police, modernization, intelligence, and law and order, consolidating key responsibilities under one officer.
While Sinha has been posted as Chairman and Managing Director of MANIDCO and will additionally serve as Director of Inquiry for the Manipur Lokayukta, Kailun has been appointed as Managing Director of MPHC Ltd.
Centre Moves Counter-Terror Specialist to Manipur
The central government moved Singh, a top counter-terrorism specialist, to Manipur where the situation continues to remain violent since the ethnic conflict erupted in May 2023. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) last week approved Singh's inter-cadre deputation from the AGMUT cadre to Manipur for three years.
Singh, a 1996-batch Indian Police Service officer and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, replaced Rajiv Singh, who has been appointed Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat. Singh arrived in Imphal on Saturday and will take charge of the Manipur Police from June 1.
Later in the evening, Singh called on Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh. The Chief Minister later wrote on social media, extending his best wishes and expressing confidence that Singh's vast experience and distinguished service record would provide strong leadership in maintaining peace, law and order, and public safety across the state.
Singh's Formidable Track Record
Singh brings with him a formidable track record. An IIT-Delhi alumnus, he has extensive field experience in Jammu and Kashmir, having served in Pulwama, Poonch, and Jammu. He led several major anti-terror operations and earned multiple gallantry awards. His career includes stints as Deputy Inspector General and Inspector General in the National Investigation Agency (NIA), a central deputation with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and service as Additional DGP in Jammu zone before being appointed Ladakh DGP in January this year.
Critical Juncture Amid Worsening Conflict
His appointment comes at a critical juncture when the situation has worsened with reports of cross-border involvement, including Myanmar's Kuki National Army-Burma, which has coordinated with the anti-junta People's Defence Force (PDF) to carry out attacks in Tangkhul Naga villages along the India-Myanmar border.
The state remains tense after the killing of three church leaders of the Thadou Baptist Association India and a Chiru Naga man earlier this month, which triggered a spate of abductions. Over 38 villagers from both Naga and Kuki communities were taken, with 31 later released. The Nagas claim six of their men remain in Kuki captivity, while the Kukis say 14 of their men, including three students, are still held by Nagas.
Recent Violence and Attack on Convoy
On Friday, the state was rocked by the killing of a Food Corporation of India (FCI) truck driver. Police on Saturday said a combined security force comprising Manipur Police, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, and Rapid Action Force, while escorting a convoy of stranded FCI trucks and liquefied petroleum gas and petroleum tankers from Yaingangpokpi towards Ukhrul, came under heavy attack at Roudei (TM Kasom) village from Patleijang hill area by armed Kuki militants who had taken tactical positions along the route.
During the attack, an FCI truck driver, Nitish Kumar (57) of Hooghly district, West Bengal, sustained critical gunshot injuries and succumbed on the spot, police said. A police personnel of Litan police station also sustained a bullet injury.
