Manipur governor extends deadline for looted arms surrender to March 6

IMPHAL: Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has extended the deadline to surrender looted and illegal weapons until 4pm on March 6.

This follows the seven-day ultimatum by Bhalla on February 20 for voluntarily surrendering looted and illegally held arms and ammunition as part of efforts to end the protracted ethnic violence in the northeastern state. He assured no punitive action would be taken against those who comply.

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

Also Read: Radical Meitei group Arambai Tenggol puts conditions for weapons’ surrender

“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.

On Thursday, the seventh day of the amnesty for the voluntary surrender of looted weapons and munitions, Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei group, surrendered 246 weapons at the 1st Manipur Rifles campus.

The order further emphasised that “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.”

At least 250 people died, and 60,000 were rendered homeless in the ethnic clashes between Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups that started on May 4, 2023.

Also Read: Day before deadline, a few arms given up in Manipur

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 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.