New Delhi: In an “unprecedented move”, a record 16 officers from the 2024 India Police Service (IPS) batch are set to be posted to the small but conflict-ridden state of Manipur, ThePrint has learnt. This is double the number posted in the state in 2023 and four times the number posted there in 2022.
It will also be the highest-ever posting of IPS officers in Manipur in the last 14 years, putting the state on a par with larger states like Maharashtra, where 16 police vacancies are being filled, according to data accessed by ThePrint from the ministry of personnel.
In fact, Manipur will fill more vacancies than Bihar (15) and Madhya Pradesh (13). Only Uttar Pradesh and the AGMUT cadre will receive more—20 officers each. AGMUT is a joint cadre within the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and IPS encompassing the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and the Union Territories (UTs).
Data on direct recruitment through the Union Public Service Commission shows that Manipur saw the following number of IPS officers posted over the years: one in 2011, two in 2012, one each in 2013 and 2014, two in 2015, five in 2016, three in 2017, none in 2018, two in 2019, one in 2020, three in 2021, four in 2022, eight in 2023, and a record 16 in 2024.
Speaking to ThePrint, senior government officials said that Manipur has a “backlog of vacancies” waiting to be filled, as postings are done on the sanctioned strength of a particular cadre, due to which the decision to fill 16 vacancies was taken.
“Each state has a fixed number of posts, which includes officers-on-duty posts like SPs, IGs (superintendents of police and inspector generals of police) and the ones on deputation from central agencies like the Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing. The vacancies are filled based on cadre strength. In Manipur, there was a backlog as vacancies had not been filled in the previous years and now a need was felt to do so,” a senior government officer said.
“Also, a large batch of officers had to be accommodated. I do not see any other reason besides this behind this decision,” the officer added.
A few police officers, however, said there is a possibility that the decision was influenced by the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, which has persisted since May 2023.
A senior police officer told ThePrint that the government most likely believes that more IPS officers are needed in the state at the moment.
“There certainly was a backlog but that has been there for many years. The call was certainly taken keeping in view the ongoing conflict and the need for neutral officers in the state,” he said.
Ministry of personnel data shows that the total sanctioned strength for IPS officers in Manipur as on 1 January, 2024, was 91, with 66 posts filled and a vacancy of 25 officers. Among the 66 posts filled, 54 were direct recruitments and 12 were officers promoted by the state.
Every five years, the police cadre strength is reviewed for each state on the basis of criteria like law and order needs, internal security needs, growing population, etc.
The state government also asks for the number of officers required. “The state recommends the number of officers it requires based on the scope of work to be carried out. This includes not just law and order and criminal investigations, but also areas like cybercrime, traffic management, administrative roles, and more,” the government officer explained.
The Union home ministry then evaluates the proposal and sanctions the number of vacancies to be filled accordingly, the officer said.
According to 2024 data with ThePrint, Manipur already has 50 police officers on senior posts. This includes one Director General, four Additional Director Generals, 10 IGs, 10 Deputy IGs and 25 SPs. Besides this, there are 20 officers on deputation reserve (a pool designated for temporary assignment to other organisations or departments), 12 on state deputation reserve, one officer as trainee reserve, eight for junior post reserve and 27 promotees.
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‘Clearly a targeted move’
Speaking to ThePrint, a second government officer said the adjustment of officers was also done considering the “large intake” of 200 IPS officers in the previous batch.
“It is a large batch of officers this time. Earlier, the batch size was never around 200. So, to accommodate them, a significant number may have been assigned to Manipur to fill pending vacancies,” the officer said. “The government’s aim is always to fill as many vacancies as possible to ensure there is no dearth of officers when needed.”
A second police officer, however, said that even considering a large intake of IPS officers in 2024, filling 16 vacancies in Manipur is a lot.
“This is unprecedented. So many police postings have never been done in a small state like Manipur before—this puts it on a par with larger states,” the officer said. “There are vacancies across all states, but this is clearly a targeted move to address the ongoing situation in Manipur.”
In Maharashtra, the police cadre strength is 317, with 299 IPS officers currently in position, and 16 vacancies being filled. The AGMUT cadre has a sanctioned strength of 457, with 415 officers in service, and 20 vacancies being filled. In Madhya Pradesh, where 13 vacancies are being filled, the cadre strength is 319, with 271 officers currently in place.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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