Imphal: Manipur Police have suspended five personnel, including a police inspector and a Jemadar of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB), for grave misconduct and dereliction of duty, after uncovering their alleged involvement in a bribery case tied to drug trafficking.
Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Singh first issued a suspension order against Inspector Ningthoujam Devdas Singh, the officer-in-charge of the Commando Unit in Imphal East, on August 10. The department cited grave misconduct as the reason for his immediate suspension.
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Imphal East Superintendent of Police Rakesh Balwal stated that the department suspended four more officers the following day: Sub-Inspector B. Debson Singh and Constable Tarique Aziz from the Imphal East Commando Unit, Head Constable Md Rakib from the Thoubal Commando Unit, and Jemadar Md Amin Shah from the 7th Battalion of the Manipur Rifles stationed at Khabeisoi in Imphal East.
Authorities took disciplinary action after alleging that the personnel accepted a bribe of Rs 6 lakh to release drug peddlers caught along National Highway-102 (the Indo-Myanmar road), while they kept the seized narcotics.
The Manipur Police stated that their actions clearly violated the standards expected of law enforcement officers and amounted to both grave misconduct and dereliction of duty.
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Each of the five officers received individual suspension orders under Rule No. 66 of the Assam Police Manual Part-III. They will remain under suspension until further notice.
During the suspension period, all five must report to their respective police headquarters and cannot leave without prior approval from competent authorities. They are entitled to subsistence allowances as per service regulations.
This is not the first time Sub-Inspector Debson Singh has been in the spotlight for serious charges.
In 2013, police arrested him for allegedly trafficking pseudoephedrine tablets valued at over Rs 3 crore to Moreh in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, near the Myanmar border.
A student organisation’s public pressure prompted the state government to revoke the Chief Minister’s Gallantry Award previously conferred on him and suspend him at that time.
The Manipur Police stated that they will deal firmly with any association with drug trafficking networks and take swift disciplinary action to preserve the force’s integrity and public trust.