Manipur: Security tightened on last day of deadline for looted arms surrender

The authorities heightened security in Manipur’s Imphal West district on the final day of the seven-day ultimatum for voluntarily surrendering looted and illegally held arms and ammunition as part of efforts to end the protracted ethnic violence in the northeastern state.

Imphal West district police superintendent issued an order on Wednesday citing the “prevailing security situation” and instructed top officers of his force, commando teams, the Central Armed Police Forces, Assam Rifles, and the Army to secure 10 key locations.

On Tuesday, radical Meitei group Arambai Tenggol said it would give up illegal weapons only when its terms and conditions are accepted. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on February 20 asked all communities to voluntarily surrender looted and illegally held arms and ammunition within seven days. He assuring no punitive action would be taken against those who comply.

Arambai Tenggol’s public relations officer Robin Mangang Khwairakpam, who was part of a delegation that met Bhalla, refused to specify the conditions and a timeline for the weapons surrender, saying Arambai Tenggol would disclose them later.

The Arambai Tenggol submitted a memorandum to Bhalla demanding among other things Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the majority Meitei community. The violence in Manipur was triggered in May 2023 after a solidarity march against a proposal for ST status to the Meiteis. Arambai Tenggol has been accused of killing Kuki tribals and destroying their homes.

Mobs looted weapons from state armouries, police stations, and outposts after the ethnic violence began. Around 2,500 of the 6,000 looted weapons have been recovered. The violence has claimed at least 260 lives, displaced around 60,000, and forced Meiteis and Kukis to withdraw to their respective strongholds. The Meiteis, mostly Hindu, live largely in the plains of Imphal valley, and the Kukis, predominantly Christian, in the hills. Fortified buffer zones now separate the two communities.

The president’s rule was imposed in Manipur this month as N Biren Singh resigned as the chief minister days after Bhalla was named the governor. The resignation came days after the Supreme Court directed a central forensics lab for a report on leaked audio tapes allegedly featuring Singh purportedly saying the ethnic violence in the state was instigated at his behest.