Day before deadline, a few arms given up in Manipur

New Delhi Less than 300 weapons and around 3,500 pieces of ammunition have been surrendered with just a day left before Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla’s seven-day amnesty for the voluntary surrender of looted weapons and munitions ends, according to multiple security officials aware of the matter. The numbers are extremely low given that at least 6,500 weapons and over 600,000 pieces of ammunition, including mortars and grenades, were looted from armouries across the state by civilians and militant groups in both valley and hill areas within months of ethnic violence breaking out in the state in May 2023. The state security adviser Kuldiep Singh in September 2024 told reporters that forces had recovered 1,200 looted weapons till that time; the government has not revealed any official numbers since then. In his first official order after the state was put under President’s Rule, governer Bhalla on February 20 appealed to the people of all communities in the state “to voluntarily come forward and surrender looted and illegally held weapons and ammunition” to the nearest police stations or security camps within seven days.