Radical Meitei group Arambai Tenggol on Thursday voluntarily handed over 246 arms at the 1st Manipur Rifles Bn compound in Imphal West district, a development seen as a step towards the return of peace to restive Manipur.
The handover came on the last day of the seven-day deadline set by governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla for people to surrender looted and illegally held arms.
On Tuesday, an Arambai Tenggol team met Bhalla and discussed ways to restore peace in a state where at least 260 people have been killed and over 60,000 displaced in almost 22 months of conflict between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos.
Kuki-Zos had criticised Tuesday’s meeting, with the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights calling the Meitei outfit “an armed extremist group responsible for mass violence, ethnic persecution and destabilisation in Manipur”.
Arambai Tenggol says it’s a socio-cultural group “forced” to defend itself from attacks by Kuki-Zos.
Manipur police said 246 arms had been surrendered at the 1st Manipur Rifles Bn compound on Thursday but did not name Arambai Tenggol or provide details of the weapons
Reports from Imphal said Arambai Tenggol members had arrived at the Manipur Rifles compound in pickup trucks loaded with arms and ammunition.
Another 61 weapons were reportedly surrendered at other places in both the tribal-dominated hills and the Meitei-majority valley.
On Wednesday, the police reported the surrender of “104 different types of weapons, various ammunitions/ munitions and other miscellaneous items” in Kangpokpi, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Imphal West and Kakching districts.
Over 6,000 weapons and 6 lakh rounds of ammunition have been looted in the hill and valley districts since the unrest began on May 3, 2023.
Thursday’s police statement highlighted the “significant role” played by various groups from the hills and the valley in the “handing over/ surrender of the illegally held weapons and ammunition”. These groups include youth volunteers, community leaders, civil society bodies, and women’s organisations.
The police requested people to surrender all looted and illegal arms “to the nearest police station/ outposts and any security force camps”, saying no action would be taken against those who did so voluntarily within the deadline.
Anyone found in possession of such arms after the expiry of the deadline will face legal action, the police said.
Manipur is under President’s rule, with its Assembly in suspended animation.
An Arambai Tenggol leader, M. Mangang, told journalists that the government had opened a “pathway to peace” and “we respect that and accepted the peace proposal”.
“This is one very important point.… In the agreement we made if Kukis attack us and there is loss of lives and properties of Meitei people, then, of course, Arambai Tenggol will retaliate.… They (security forces) said they would guard the peripheral areas of the Imphal valley 100 per cent,” Mangang said.
“And we also asked for general amnesty to village volunteers, including Arambai Tenggol. They said they would consider.… Last but not the least, they agreed to the free movement of Arambai Tenggol in uniform.”