February 28th 2025.
The Governor of Manipur, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, announced on Friday that he has given an additional one week for the return of looted and illegal weapons and ammunition to the security forces. However, he also warned that those who do not comply will face strict legal consequences in accordance with the law.
Senior police officials reported that since the Governor's initial appeal on February 20, over 610 looted and illegally-held weapons, including sophisticated arms and a large amount of ammunition, have been returned to the security forces. In his latest appeal, Governor Bhalla acknowledged the positive response to the initial request and decided to extend the deadline for voluntary surrender until 4 p.m. on March 6.
He urged all individuals still in possession of such weapons to voluntarily surrender them to the nearest police station, outpost, or security forces' camp by the given deadline. He also assured that no punitive action will be taken against those who comply during this period. However, after the deadline, the police and security forces will conduct extensive search operations and anyone found with illegal or looted arms will face legal consequences.
Governor Bhalla emphasized that this is the final opportunity for everyone to contribute to peace, communal harmony, and the safety of the youth and society. He urged all individuals to take advantage of this last chance to surrender their weapons without fear of prosecution.
According to reports, during the ethnic riots between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023, over 6,000 sophisticated arms and lakhs of pieces of ammunition were looted from police stations and outposts by mobs and radical outfits. However, the security forces have successfully recovered a significant number of these weapons.
On the last day of the first seven-day surrender period, several organizations and individuals, including the Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol, surrendered 307 looted arms and a large amount of ammunition to the security forces. Police officials also reported that other groups, such as youth volunteers, community leaders, civil society organizations, and women's organizations, have played a crucial role in returning looted and illegally-held weapons to the First Manipur Rifle Campus in Imphal. Additionally, 61 arms were surrendered at different locations in both the hills and valley districts.
On February 25, a delegation from Arambai Tenggol met with the Governor and submitted a 9-point demand to resolve the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state. Their demands included the introduction of the National Register of Citizens with 1951 as the base year, deportation of illegal immigrants, abrogation of the Suspension of Operations agreement with militant groups, destruction of poppy plantations, and reinstating the Scheduled Tribe status of the Meitei community. They also requested the withdrawal of ST status from illegal immigrants and protection for village volunteers and Arambai Tenggol from any legal action.
Meanwhile, a coordinating committee of the Kuki-Zo Community village volunteers urged the Central government to take immediate action to restore peace, security, and normalcy for the tribals and the state of Manipur. They also expressed their willingness to surrender their weapons if their four-point demands are met, including a separate administration for Kuki-Zo tribal-inhabited areas, withdrawal of Manipur Police from Kuki-Zo inhabited areas, total surrender of looted arms by Meitei groups, and legal protection for Kuki-Zo village volunteers.
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