Centre-State Relations in Internal Security
Who Controls Policing?
Under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, Police and Public Order are State List subjects (Entries 1 and 2). However, the Centre has multiple mechanisms to intervene in internal security situations.
- Article 355: The Union has a duty to protect every state against internal disturbance, and to ensure that state governments are carried on in accordance with the Constitution.
- Article 356 (President's Rule): Centre can assume direct governance of a state if constitutional machinery breaks down — not currently invoked in Manipur.
- Central forces: BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles (under MHA) can be deployed by Centre to states for internal security, but remain under operational command structures that require state-Centre coordination.
- NIA is a central agency — its involvement in state-level cases requires state government consent or central government direction, bypassing normal CBI/state police constraints.
- Assam Rifles: stationed in Manipur under a dual control structure — administrative under MHA, operational under Army.
● Tracked since February 06, 2026 · last seen April 18, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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