Mukesh Singh to be new Manipur DGP as Rajiv Singh moves to Centre
New Delhi/Imphal, May 22 Incumbent Director General of Police of Ladakh, Mukesh Singh, is set to become the new police chief of Manipur after the current DGP Rajiv Singh was appointed as Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, a top official said on Friday.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the transfer of Mukesh Singh to Manipur on inter-cadre deputation for a period of three years. According to an official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the decision was taken following a proposal received from the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 15, 2026.
Mukesh Singh, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre, is a B.Tech graduate in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and joined the IPS in 1996. He assumed charge as the DGP of the Union Territory of Ladakh on January 15, 2026.
Earlier, he served in several sensitive assignments in Jammu and Kashmir, including as Superintendent of Police in Reasi, Pulwama, Poonch and Jammu during periods of heightened militancy and insurgency-related operations.
Meanwhile, the ACC has also approved the appointment of Rajiv Singh as Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat, according to another DoPT order.
Rajiv Singh, a 1993-batch IPS officer of the Tripura cadre, has been serving as the DGP of Manipur since June 1, 2023. Before taking charge as the state (Manipur) police chief, he served as Additional Director General of Police in Tripura and later as Inspector General (Operations) at the CRPF headquarters in New Delhi.
He took over as the head of the Manipur Police during one of the most turbulent phases in the state following the outbreak of ethnic violence on May 3, 2023. The ethnic violence began after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised in the hill districts by tribal organisations protesting the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
The ethnic conflict has so far claimed at least 260 lives, displaced thousands of people, and severely affected normal life across both hill and valley districts. The prolonged unrest also led to the imposition of President's Rule in the state for nearly a year.
Manipur remained under President's Rule from February 13, 2025, before it was revoked on February 4 this year, just hours ahead of the formation of a new BJP-led government in the state.
BJP-led NDA legislature party leader Yumnam Khemchand Singh was subsequently sworn in as the Chief Minister.
Officials said the appointment of a new DGP assumes significance as the state government and security agencies continue efforts to restore normalcy and strengthen law and order in the violence-affected state.
— IANS
Reader Comments
IIT Delhi graduate in the police? That's impressive. Hope his engineering mindset helps solve the logistical challenges in Manipur's difficult terrain. But let's be honest—after 260 deaths and a year of President's Rule, the damage is deep. Peace won't come with just a new DGP. Need political will too. 🇮🇳
Good officer from what I've heard. Served in Pulwama and Poonch during peak militancy—that's not easy. But Manipur's situation is different from Kashmir. Here it's ethnic fault lines between valley and hills. Mukesh Singh needs to understand local sensitivities, not just use a heavy hand. Let's wait and watch.
Rajiv Singh handled a very difficult phase. Transferring him to the Cabinet Secretariat feels like a promotion but also a removal from ground zero. Let's hope Mukesh Singh doesn't repeat the mistakes of heavy-handed policing. The people of Manipur have suffered enough. 🕊️
Three years is a long tenure for a DGP in a sensitive state. Let's see if Mukesh Singh can rebuild the trust that was shattered after May 2023. The fact that President's Rule was needed for a year shows how bad things got. I'm cautiously optimistic but the challenges are immense—especially the displacement and refugee camps.
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