IMPHAL, Nov 16 (PTI): A total of 31 cadres of five banned valley-based insurgent outfits laid down arms and surrendered to Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday.
The surrendered militants included 17 from Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group), three from Kanglei Yawol Kanba Lup, six from People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and four from United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and one from PREPAK (VC).
Welcoming the cadres, Biren Singh said, “When you come home not one bullet will be fired, nor any FIR will be lodged” and appealed to them to “come out, live together and develop the state”.
A ‘Home Coming Ceremony’ was organised by the Home department where the insurgents laid down their arms. The chief minister said that violence will not bring the solution to the problem of insurgency and the insurgents can be brought back to normal life only through political dialogue.
“The government priority is to rehabilitate them, pay their monthly stipend and the financial incentive for surrendering their weapons,” he said, adding it will also ensure that the surrendered cadres are able to live peacefully in their homes.
A number of militants have returned to the mainstream in the past few years following the launching of the mission oriented schemes for them under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. This development has enabled Manipur to achieve peace, he added.
The weapons which were surrendered included one M-16 rifle, one M-4 rifle, one lathode gun, one single barrel rifle, seven .32 pistols, three .22 pistols, one 12 mm bore gun along with five cartridges, one IED and three live ammunitions, officials said.
