Ukhrul, Jan 2: The Governor-Designate of Manipur, Ajay Kumar Bhalla arrived in Imphal Thursday afternoon ahead of his official swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Friday at 10:30 AM at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan. Bhalla succeeds Lakshman Prasad Acharya, who assumed office as Governor-in-charge of Manipur in July last year.
Upon his arrival at the Imphal International Airport around 1:30 PM, Bhalla was accorded a warm reception by a team led by Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh. He later proceeded to Raj Bhavan, where he was welcomed by Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, Speaker Th. Satyabrata, Chief Secretary, and senior government officials. Manipur Rifles and IRB personnel gave him the Rashtriya Salute.
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Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a retired IAS officer from the 1984 batch (Assam-Meghalaya cadre), served as India’s Home Secretary for nearly five years until August 2024. Hailing from Jalandhar, Punjab, Bhalla’s appointment comes amid ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, which has been experiencing unrest since May 2023.
President Droupadi Murmu approved Bhalla’s appointment, with the official notification issued on December 24, 2024.
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