HT Digital
IMPHAL, Mar 4: In a major breakthrough, citizens of war-torn Manipur have surrendered voluntarily thirty-three weapons and ammunition in five districts, police reports said on Tuesday.
A top officer confirmed that the weapons were surrendered in Churachandpur, Thoubal, Imphal East, Imphal West, and Bishnupur districts.
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This is after Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla appealed earlier this month, extending the deadline for the return of looted and illegal weapons until 4 PM on March 6.
The move followed calls by both valley and hill dwellers for more time. Bhalla called on people to surrender illegal weapons within a week on February 20, saying no disciplinary action would be taken against any individual who returned them.
Chief Secretary PK Singh reiterated that a week was enough for people who were willing to relinquish weapons voluntarily. He also cautioned that security personnel would take requisite steps to reclaim illegal weapons after the deadline.
Manipur has been experiencing brutal ethnic violence since May 2023, resulting in the deaths of more than 250 individuals and displacing thousands from their homes as a result of fighting between the Meitei people in the Imphal valley and Kuki-Zo groups from the hills surrounding it.
In the midst of this perpetual crisis, the central government declared President’s Rule in Manipur on February 13, a day after Chief Minister N Biren Singh stepped down from office. The action threw the state into more political chaos.
According to a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Manipur Legislative Assembly, which was scheduled to operate until 2027, has now been put under suspension.
