New Delhi, September 28 – Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for Srinagar, Rakesh Balwal, has been transferred back to his original cadre in Manipur amid ongoing tensions in the region. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order announcing Balwal’s premature transfer from the AGMUT cadre to his home state. Balwal, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the 2012 Manipur cadre, assumed the role of SSP Srinagar in late 2021.
Prior to his assignment in Srinagar, Balwal served on deputation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for three and a half years as Superintendent of Police. During this time, he was a member of the investigative team tasked with probing the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, which resulted in the loss of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
In recent months, Manipur has witnessed heightened tensions, with more than 180 casualties and several hundred injuries stemming from ethnic violence that began on May 3. The violence initially erupted during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organized in the hill districts in protest of the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
In Manipur, the Meitei community constitutes approximately 53 percent of the population, primarily residing in the Imphal valley, while tribal groups like Nagas and Kukis account for 40 percent and primarily reside in the hill districts.
Amid the ongoing unrest, violent protests have continued in Manipur’s capital for the second consecutive day. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured Chief Minister N Biren Singh of swift action against those responsible for the kidnapping and murder of two youths. In response to the protests, curfew has been reimposed in two districts, East and West Imphal, as the Biren Singh government strives to maintain order, with 65 demonstrators reported injured over the course of two days.
