Meitei Group surrender weapons
Manipur News: In a significant step towards restoring peace in strife-torn Manipur, members of the Meitei Group surrender organization Arambai Tengol surrendered their arms to the state government on Thursday. This move follows a crucial meeting with Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on February 25.
Following Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla‘s appeal and joint public awareness efforts by District Police, Assam Rifles and CRPF, people in Manipur have begun surrendering illegally held weapons.
Arambai Tenggol had said it would give up illegal weapons only when its terms and conditions are accepted. A delegation of the radical group had also met Bhalla.
The Arambai Tengol members surrendered 87 weapons to the following places in the Churachandpur, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kangpokpi, Jiribam, and Imphal West Districts.
Visuals that surfaced on social media showed members of the In a significant step towards restoring peace in strife-torn Manipur, members of the Meitei Group surrender organization Arambai Tengol in a fleet of pickup trucks carrying arms and ammunition.
Additionally, the security forces in Manipur conducted search operations in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts.
According to a Manipur police station, one pompi with 10 ft in length (likely 84mm), another pompi (likely 51mm improvised Mortar), three pompi bombs (destroyed in situ) and three IEDs (approx 5.5 kg) with detonator (destroyed in situ) were recovered from the general area of H. Monjang village under MRH police station in Tengnoupal District.
The Arambai Tenggol group submitted a comprehensive memorandum to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. The document outlines key demands aimed at stabilizing the region, including fencing the border with Myanmar to curb illegal activities, implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with 1951 as the cut-off year, and deporting “illegal immigrants”.
Additionally, the memorandum calls for the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki insurgent groups, which has been a contentious issue
The Arambai Tenggol group’s memorandum also sought an assurance that no arrests or legal action would be taken against volunteers or armed civilians including those belonging to Arambai Tenggol, and Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the majority Meitei community.
The violence in Manipur was triggered in May 2023 and has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people in the state.
Arambai Tenggol has been accused of killing Kuki tribals and destroying their homes.