Arms Looted from Security Forces Remain a Major Concern in Manipur

IMPHAL: Although the armed forces have claimed that the situation is now stable in the state of Manipur, the problems are far from over. On one hand, the talks regarding the restoration of peace with the tribal communities have been failing continuously and on the other hand, a huge number of weapons looted by miscreants still remain unaccounted for.

Against the backdrop of the recent violent clashes between the Meitei community and the tribal communities of the state, a large number of weapons were forcefully taken by the miscreants from the security forces. This remains a major area of concern for the forces posted in the state. One of the key risks of the situation is these weapons falling into the hands of the insurgent groups in the state.

A recent report mentioned that over 1000 weapons and 10000 rounds of ammunition were looted from the Manipur Police Training College, two police stations and an Indian Reserve Batallion camp as Meitei groups had overrun these facilities in the state during the first few days of the battle. Kuki groups have also attacked and looted several police stations in the Churachadpur district of the state according to the report.

A former Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force mentioned that total 456 arms and 6670 rounds of ammunition have been recovered so far by the forces from both the Meitei and Kuki groups.

Ten representatives from the tribal communities in the state which include the Kuki, Mizo, Chin, Zomi and Hmar in the Manipur state assembly are also adamant regarding their demands for a separate administration. They submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the communities have lost faith in the BJP-led state government and can no longer” think about “resettling in the Valley” after the recent round of violence. Demanding a separate administration for the hill, they mentioned that it was no longer possible to stay together as before.

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