Ajay Kumar Bhalla sworn in as Manipur governor

Former Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla was sworn in as the 19th governor of Manipur in Imphal on Friday, reported PTI.

Hari Babu Kambhampati took oath as the 27th governor of Odisha at a ceremony in Bhubaneswar.

Bhalla, a 1984-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, was the Union home secretary between August 22, 2019, and August 22, 2024.

Appointed as the governor of Manipur by President Droupadi Murmu in December, Bhalla arrived in Imphal on Thursday and was welcomed at Raj Bhavan by Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Manipur had not had a full-time governor since July 31, even as the state continued to be gripped by violence. Lakshman Prasad Acharya had held the additional charge of Manipur since becoming the Assam governor in July.

At least 258 persons have been killed and more than 59,000 persons displaced since the ethnic clashes broke out between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmars communities in May 2023. There was an uptick in violence in the state in November.

Meanwhile, in Odisha, High Court Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh administered the oath of office to Kambhampati, who succeeded Raghubar Das as governor.

The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik and other dignitaries. Kambhampati, who arrived on Thursday afternoon, was also given a guard of honour after the swearing-in.

Kambhampati was formerly the governor of...

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