Bhalla Impact: In a surprising move Prashant Singh shunted out from Manipur, Puneet Goel appointed as new Chief Secretary

Violence-hit Manipur sees major development amid ongoing unrest. Full story only on Dynamite News.

Imphal: Manipur has remained a serious challenge for the Central Government for quite some time. Despite heavy criticism from the Opposition, the Centre has continued its efforts to bring normalcy back to the troubled region.

In this context, the Central Government has taken a major administrative decision by removing the current Chief Secretary of Manipur, Prashant Kumar Singh.

Singh is a 1993-batch IAS officer of the Manipur cadre. He could not even complete six months in office as Chief Secretary of the state and has now been brought to the Centre and given a sideline posting as Secretary of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).

In his place, Puneet Kumar Goel has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Manipur. Goel is a 1991-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre. He is due to retire in August 2026. Goel has previously served as the Chief Secretary of Goa and his appointment in Manipur has been made through inter-cadre deputation from AGMUT to the Manipur cadre.

When Dynamite News’ investigative team looked out for the reasons behind this major bureaucratic shake-up, it emerged that the move had the silent consent of Ajay Kumar Bhalla — former Union Home Secretary and the current Governor of Manipur.

Bhalla was appointed as the Governor of Manipur in January this year, a state currently considered one of the most challenging in the country. It is believed that his name for the gubernatorial post was handpicked by the central leadership.

Bhalla, a 1984-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, served as India’s Union Home Secretary for five years. He is considered closed to the top leadership of the centre. This is evident from the fact that while Rajiv Gauba, who served as Cabinet Secretary alongside Bhalla for five years, did not make it to the Governor — Bhalla succeeded in securing the position.

Since assuming charge, Bhalla has taken several impactful steps in Manipur. Under his leadership, efforts to restore peace and stability intensified, especially after the imposition of President’s Rule in February 2025. His leadership has helped rebuild public confidence in governance.

Bhalla took over at a time when Manipur was reeling from severe ethnic violence and political instability. This high-level administrative reshuffle is being viewed as a strategic step taken under Bhalla’s silent but firm leadership.