Manipur Guv extends deadline for surrendering illegal arms til March 6

Imphal: Manipur Guv Ajay Kumar Bhalla has extended the deadline for surrendering looted and illegal weapons til 4pm of March 6.

The governor issued an order on Friday, stating that the extension was granted in response to demands from people in both the hills and the valley.

“Upon the expiry of the seven-day deadline for the voluntary surrender of arms, there have been requests from both the valley and hill areas to extend the period. I have considered these requests and decided to extend the deadline until 4pm on March 6,” the statement read.

Bhalla had earlier appealed to the public on February 20 to surrender illegal weapons within seven days. On the seventh day (Thursday), Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei group, deposited 246 weapons at the 1st Manipur Rifles campus.

The order further assured that no punitive action would be taken against those who surrender their weapons within this period. “This is the last opportunity for everyone concerned to contribute to peace, communal harmony, the future of our youth, and the security of our society.” “Come Forward and Choose Peace.”

Following the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023, mobs looted weapons from state armories, police stations, and outposts. To date, approximately 2,500 of the estimated 6,000 looted weapons have been recovered.

The violence has claimed at least 260 lives, displaced around 60,000 people, and forced Meiteis and Kukis to withdraw to their respective strongholds.

The Meiteis, mostly Hindu, primarily inhabit the Imphal Valley plains, while the Kukis, predominantly Christian, reside in the hills. Fortified buffer zones now separate the two communities.

The surrender of arms comes after the imposition of President’s Rule, following the resignation of N. Biren Singh as chief minister of Manipur. His resignation came days after the Supreme Court ordered a central forensic lab report on leaked audio tapes allegedly featuring Singh, in which he purportedly suggested that the ethnic violence in the state was instigated at his behest.