GUWAHATI: On the final day of the seven-day deadline set by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla for people to surrender looted and illegally held weapons, Meitei radical group Arambai Tenggol voluntarily laid down 246 weapons along with ammunition to the 1st Battalion of Manipur Rifles in Imphal on Thursday.
Another 61 weapons were surrendered elsewhere in the state on the same day. Over the past few days, several weapons were handed over across different parts of Manipur.
“The Hon’ble Governor’s request for the surrender of looted and illegally held weapons and ammunition has yielded a positive response. In both valley and hill districts, various groups, including youth volunteers, community leaders, civil society organisations, and women’s organisations, have played a significant role in handing over the illegally held weapons and ammunition,” a statement issued by Manipur Police said.
The police added that such voluntary surrenders would significantly contribute to restoring peace, communal harmony, and lawfulness in the state.
“As the seven-day period granted for voluntary surrender is set to conclude today, all concerned individuals, especially the youth, are requested to come forward and surrender any looted or illegally held arms to the nearest police station/outpost or any security force camp,” the statement read.
It also warned that no punitive action would be taken against those surrendering weapons during the period, but anyone found in possession of illegal or looted arms after the deadline would face appropriate legal action.
On 20 February, the governor had urged people living in both the valley and the hills to surrender their weapons within seven days or face “strict action.” According to media reports, more than 4,000 weapons were looted from police armouries and other locations during the ethnic conflict.
On Thursday, Arambai Tenggol members carried the weapons to the Manipur Rifles battalion in a convoy of mini-trucks and handed them over to the authorities in the presence of senior police officials.
The surrender followed a meeting on Tuesday between the governor and an Arambai Tenggol delegation. The group submitted a memorandum to Bhalla demanding the fencing of the Manipur-Myanmar border, the implementation of the National Register of Citizens with 1951 as the base year, the deportation of illegal immigrants, the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations pact signed with Kuki insurgent groups, and the destruction of poppy plantations.
The ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis, which erupted on 3 May 2023, has so far left over 250 people dead and displaced 60,000 others. A large number of the displaced continue to live in relief camps.