The candidates for the post of rifleman in the 10th and 11th Indian Reserved Battalion (IRB) have said that they will not vote for the ruling BJP in Manipur if the recruitment test results are not declared before the enforcement of the model code of conduct ahead of the March 2022 Assembly election.
This was announced in a press release issued by Keithelakpam Naoba, secretary of the Joint Action Committee of the 10th and 11th IRB riflemen 2019 batch.
Several unemployed youth had appeared for the job interview for various posts in departments such as education, water supply, power, veterinary in the past few years.
Former police officer Brinda Thounaojam recently said that as the State coffer was almost empty, the riflemen were not recruited as their salary could not be paid.
Meanwhile, in the wake of continuing agitations, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren also holding the Home portfolio recently said, “The IRB is a disciplined force. As such, the kind of agitations spearheaded by some candidates would invite official disciplinary action once they are appointed in the force”.
For a long time, the successive Home Ministers have been unable to make timely recruitments despite the fact that there is a big shortage of police and paramilitary personnel for normal duty and counter insurgency operations.
