Nueva Delhi: Up to 650 weapons were delivered in Manipur during the past week in response to the governor Ajay BhallaIt is appeal for voluntary surrender of all illegal weaponsincluding the looted from the armor following the outbreak of ethnic violence In May 2023. This has increased the hope that the people of Manipuri can be more receptive to the appeal, particularly in view of the fact that peace has remained in the state in recent months, uninterrupted even by the exit of the government of N Biren Singh and imposition of the President’s government.
It is this hope that led Bhalla to extend the deadline for the voluntary surrender of the ransacked weapons and other weapons as of March 6. The extension was ahead of a detailed review of the situation in Manipur by Interior Minister, Amit Shah, on Saturday, where Bhalla, heads of several security forces deployed in the State and the head of the State Police will be present.
The strategy that seems to have worked this time with the rebels, who were cold to the previous appeals to deliver the ransacked weapons, is the scope of the government for the bosses of the villages and the leaders of civil society in Manipur to echo the appeal of Bhalla to their respective communities and warn them about the consequences of ignoring it. The ‘consequences’, which will begin after the deadline, include police/security raids in their villages and a tough criminal action against any youth/rebel still in possession of looted or illegal weapons.
“At this time there is a certainty that young people will not be penalized if they deliver the bad weapons obtained. In addition, the option that gave their weapons to the chief of the village or the leader of the community, instead of going directly to the police, ensures that the police do not identify and face a possible action or profiles at a later stage, ”a senior manipur government officer told toi.
Up to 6,020 arms were looted after ethnic confrontations broke out in Manipur in 2023. While the police and other security forces have so far recovered almost 3,900 weapons in raids and searches, these also include sophisticated weapons that Manipuri’s insurgent had since before.
The surrender of the arms looted in Manipur have been insignificant, but during the last week, with people belonging to the areas of the Valley who do not trust to become the weapons they had looted to defend themselves against ethnic violence by the ‘armed’ members of the rival community. The fact that the Pact of Suspension of Operations (SOO) between the insurgent groups of the Government and Kuki-Zo, which allows the latter to retain its weapons with certain conditions, has not been renewed, has only been renewed to the reluctance of the rival community to set aside their weapons.