Close on the heels of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to the strife-torn state, senior IPS officer Rajiv Singh has been appointed the police chief of Manipur.
Singh will replace P Doungel as the Director General of Police(DGP), according to an official order by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Singh, belonging to the neighbouring Tripura cadre, has been appointed to the post for three years "as a special case in public interest", an official order said. Singh is currently serving as the inspector general of operations at the CRPF headquarters in Delhi.
According to an official order, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the inter-cadre deputation of Singh from Tripura cadre to Manipur cadre "for a period of three years from the date of joining, in relaxation of the policy as a special case in public interest".
Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department Special Secretary N Geoffrey said, in the order, that Singh will be the new DGP of Manipur and Head of the Police Force immediately upon joining the state government.
Doungel is a 1987 batch IPS officer from Manipur, for whom a post of Officer on Special Duty (Home) has been created. He is due for retirement at the end of the month.
Manipur, which has been hit by ethnic conflict for nearly a month, is witnessing d a sudden spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces. Home Minister Amit Shah is currently in the state for the last three days to oversee the situation and work up a peace formula.
Soon after the violence broke out, the central government had appointed a former chief of the CRPF Kuldiep Singh as a security adviser to the Manipur government.