The past two days have been crucial for Manipur as the central government appears determined to overhaul the state’s top administrative structure to address the ongoing ethnic violence. Two major decisions were taken in quick succession: on Tuesday, former Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla (Retd. IAS:1984:AM) was appointed as the Governor of Manipur. The following day, on Wednesday, the state’s Chief Secretary, Vineet Joshi (IAS:1992:MN), was moved to the Ministry of Education at the Centre to serve as Secretary, Department of Higher Education.
These moves signal the Centre’s intent to address the Manipur crisis with a fresh team of leaders. The focus now shifts to the appointment of the next Chief Secretary, a decision expected soon to avoid prolonged administrative uncertainty. The government is reportedly considering the repatriation of one of three senior IAS officers: Prashant Kumar Singh (IAS:1993:MN), Rajesh Agarwal (IAS:1994:MN), or Vivek Kumar Dewangan (IAS:1993:MN). Singh currently serves as Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy; Agarwal is the senior-most Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce; and Dewangan is the CMD of REC Limited.
This situation recalls the Centre’s earlier intervention in June when, following the outbreak of ethnic violence in Manipur in May 2023, Tripura cadre IPS officer Rajiv Singh (IPS:1993:TR) was sent to the state on inter-cadre deputation. Singh, who was then serving as IG (Operations) in the CRPF, was appointed as the state’s DGP on June 1.
