Ibobi for More SPOs
Govt plans Heirok-style recruits in valley districts
Imphal, Jan 1: The 301 special police officers (SPOs) recruited by the Okram Ibobi Singh government to protect Heirok in Manipur’s Thoubal district in June last year are yet to be assigned any duties.
However, while the SPOs await their call, the state government is planning to recruit more such officers from different parts of the four valley districts. Sources said the Union home ministry had agreed to a proposal by the government to recruit 1,500 SPOs. This includes the 301 officers already trained to protect Heirok.
The Heirok SPOs completed six months of training at the Manipur Police Training School on December 30 and were taken back to their village the same day. The SPOs, who were given a two-day holiday, will report back tomorrow morning at the India Reserve Battalion post at Heirok.
Sources said the police could use the officers to patrol areas in and around Heirok.
A source said unlike the Heirok SPOs, the officers who would be trained now would not be deployed in their home towns but attached to police stations located in the four valley districts. “The idea is to assist the police stations in maintaining law and order. All the police stations are suffering from lack of manpower. The SPOs would assist the police stations in their area of work,” the source said.
Unlike the Heirok SPOs who were recruited from the village itself, the next phase of recruitment will not be confined to particular areas but from the entire valley. The source said preference would be given to candidates hailing from militancy-prone areas.
The United National Liberation Front and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup strongly opposed the government’s move to arm the villagers of Heirok as an attempt to trigger fratricidal killings. Another source termed the proposed SPOs as “low-cost” police personnel. The Heirok SPOs are given a monthly remuneration of Rs 3,000 each in addition to ration and uniforms. The same facilities would be extended to the next batch of SPOs.
The Ibobi Singh government changed the plan to provide the SPOs with outdated .303 rifles. According to sources, the SPOs would now be given self-loading rifles. The state government may recruit SPOs for the five hill districts as well.
Source: The Telegraph
Imphal, Jan 1: The 301 special police officers (SPOs) recruited by the Okram Ibobi Singh government to protect Heirok in Manipur’s Thoubal district in June last year are yet to be assigned any duties.
However, while the SPOs await their call, the state government is planning to recruit more such officers from different parts of the four valley districts. Sources said the Union home ministry had agreed to a proposal by the government to recruit 1,500 SPOs. This includes the 301 officers already trained to protect Heirok.
The Heirok SPOs completed six months of training at the Manipur Police Training School on December 30 and were taken back to their village the same day. The SPOs, who were given a two-day holiday, will report back tomorrow morning at the India Reserve Battalion post at Heirok.
Sources said the police could use the officers to patrol areas in and around Heirok.
A source said unlike the Heirok SPOs, the officers who would be trained now would not be deployed in their home towns but attached to police stations located in the four valley districts. “The idea is to assist the police stations in maintaining law and order. All the police stations are suffering from lack of manpower. The SPOs would assist the police stations in their area of work,” the source said.
Unlike the Heirok SPOs who were recruited from the village itself, the next phase of recruitment will not be confined to particular areas but from the entire valley. The source said preference would be given to candidates hailing from militancy-prone areas.
The United National Liberation Front and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup strongly opposed the government’s move to arm the villagers of Heirok as an attempt to trigger fratricidal killings. Another source termed the proposed SPOs as “low-cost” police personnel. The Heirok SPOs are given a monthly remuneration of Rs 3,000 each in addition to ration and uniforms. The same facilities would be extended to the next batch of SPOs.
The Ibobi Singh government changed the plan to provide the SPOs with outdated .303 rifles. According to sources, the SPOs would now be given self-loading rifles. The state government may recruit SPOs for the five hill districts as well.
Source: The Telegraph
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