Rajiv Singh new police chief of violence-battered Manipur

Senior IPS officer Rajiv Singh was on Thursday named the new Director General of Police (DGP) in Manipur, where at least 80 people have died in horrific ethnic clashes since May 3.

Rajiv Singh will replace P Doungel, an official order said.

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The 1993-batch IPS officer of the Tripura cadre has been sent to Manipur on inter-cadre deputation for three years.

Soon after the violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, the Central government appointed former CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh as a security adviser to the state government.

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Manipur saw a sudden spurt in clashes and firing between militants and security forces on Sunday, after a relative lull for over a fortnight. The death toll from violence since May 3 has gone up to 80, officials said.

The violence erupted in Manipur after a tribal solidarity march was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

(With agency inputs)