In Manipur, members of the Meitei group Arambai Tenggol surrendered 246 weapons to the state government on Thursday, just ahead of the deadline for weapon surrender. Prior to the surrender, the group met with the state's Governor, Ajay Bhalla, on Tuesday, where assurances were given that no action would be taken against those surrendering arms.
The Meitei group also surrendered helmets, boots, uniforms, and protective jackets along with illegal weapons. Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla had appealed to all communities to voluntarily surrender looted and illegally held weapons and ammunition within seven days, as part of efforts to end long-standing ethnic violence in Manipur. Complying with this request, the Meitei group has surrendered its 246 illegal weapons before the end of the deadline.
'We Set Certain Conditions'
On Tuesday, a team from the revivalist cultural organization Arambai Tenggol, including its Commander-in-Chief Tyson Ngahngbam, known as Korongnaba Khuman, Public Relations Officer Robin Mangang Khuairakpam, and two others, met with the Governor at the Raj Bhavan. After this hour-long closed-door meeting, Robin informed the media that the Arambai Tenggol team had a 'fruitful discussion' with Manipur's newly appointed Governor.
He stated that the Governor asked them to surrender the illegally held weapons. However, they set some conditions and assured the Governor that the weapons would be surrendered if these conditions were met.
Governor's Seven-Day Ultimatum
Governor Ajay Bhalla had appealed on February 20 to people from all communities in the state to surrender looted illegal weapons within seven days. He also assured that no legal action would be taken against those who surrender such weapons.
The Governor said, 'In this regard, I appeal to people from all communities, especially the youth of the valley and hills, to voluntarily step forward and surrender looted illegal weapons and ammunition at the nearest police station, outpost, or security forces camp within seven days from today.'
It is important to note that since violence erupted on May 3, 2023, armed miscreants were seen protesting with sophisticated assault rifles in the village of Torbung near the Bishnupur and Churachandpur border. Since then, large crowds have looted weapons from state armories, police stations, outposts, and other facilities. Over 6,000 weapons have been looted so far, with approximately 2,500 recovered.
