IMPHAL, June 24: Even as the state issued orders appointing the seniormost IPS officer of the state Yumnam Joykumar Singh as the new Director General of Police (DGP), a reshuffle of the top police brass is again imminent as the second most seniormost IPS officer MK Das has been downgraded to Additional DGP holding charge of Training and Prisons.
The 1997 batch IPS officer MK Das was formerly elevated to DGP equivalent post as the OSD (Home) as he returned from central deputation.
In the order issued by the Department of Personnel (DP) on Friday former DGP and 1982 batch IPS officer Ratnakar Baral was posted as OSD (Home).
There are indications that MK Das may be again posted as OSD (Home).
Y Joykumar Singh was shifted to Manipur Police Housing Corporation in the run-up to the Assembly elections on January 5 this year following concerns expressed by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The then Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi had claimed that the ECI had received intelligence inputs about Joykumar Singh. Several opposition parties including the BJP had complained to the ECI that assembly elections would not be free and fair if he remains in charge.
The new DGP Yumnam Joykumar Singh had called upon the Home Minister Gaikhangam in the afternoon yesterday. He took charge minutes after the orders were issued Friday.
Talking to IFP the Home Minister Gaikhangam said, he had impressed upon him the need for building a people friendly police force in the state.
The minister also instructed Y Joykumar Singh to rein in the police commandos who had become a issue in recent times with allegations of fake encounters including that of the July 23 incident at Khwairamband Bazar.
When asked about the recent factional feud in his home district Tamenglong the Home Minister said he will summon the army command here after he comes back from New Delhi to discuss about area domination and controlling the situation in the district.
Tamenglong had practically become a theatre of war in recent days with the NSCN-IM cadres attacking a combined camp of Zeliangrong United Front and NSCN-K and the retaliation of the two groups by killing the NSCN-IM town commander in Tamenglong HQs.
The underground friction had even led to calls for non-Zeliangrongs to leave the district of Tamenglong.
The Home Minister has alerted police stations and outposts including the Manipur Rifles deployed in the district to bring the situation under control.
