Centre moves senior police officer from Srinagar to Manipur in wake of fresh flare up

As fresh tensions have erupted in Manipur, plunging the state further into crisis, the Union Home Ministry has moved a senior police officer from Srinagar, Rakesh Balwal to the strife-torn state. This comes at a time when massive violence had erupted in different parts of the valley for two consecutive days, September 26 and 27 after protests, mostly led by students broke out over the killing of two missing children.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for premature repatriation of Shri Rakesh Balwal, IPS from AGMUT cadre to Manipur cadre,” read a notification. Balwal is a 2012 batch IPS officer of the Manipur cadre who took charge as Senior Superintend of Police, Srinagar in late 2021. A decorated officer, he has previously been with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as Superintendent of Police in 2018 for a four-year term. Balwal was part of the investigation into the 2019 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

Balwal’s move to Manipur comes at a time when violence has continued unabated in the state for over 4 months. The fresh spell of violence forced the state government to reimpose the ban on mobile internet services for five days in the violence-hit state and also other restrictions including curfew in at least two places. Thousands of students had taken to the street on Tuesday when clashes broke out after students were confronted by Manipur Police and Rapid Action Force. In immediate fallout, protest and violence intensified in different parts of the valley region of Manipur on Wednesday. Forces were seen firing tear gas shells, and smoke bombs to disperse the crowd. Protests erupted after pictures of the two missing children surfaced on Monday confirming their deaths. The duo including the 17-year-old minor and her 20-year-old friend had gone missing on July 6. More than 80 days later, after mobile internet services were resumed, the pictures confirming their captivity and then death had emerged. Protesters had been demanding justice and that bodies be recovered at the earliest. But during the protest over the past few days more than 60 students have been injured and the tempers are still soaring. The first incident of violence happened on May 3 and since then the last official data suggests that more than 180 people have lost their lives so far during the ongoing clashes and violence.