Arambai Tenggol surrenders firearms in Manipur's Imphal today
The Arambai Tenggol (AT) today surrendered a large quantity of firearms to the security forces, two days after its delegation met Manipur Governor AK Bhalla. Today is also the last day of the one-week deadline set by the Governor for people from all communities in the violence-hit state to deposit looted and illegally held weapons.
Several pickup trucks loaded with guns, body armour, ammunition, etc drove into the camp of the 1st Manipur Rifles in the state capital Imphal this evening. AT members soon unloaded them and handed over the firearms to the security forces.
The AT deposited a total of 307 weapons to the police today, a leader of the group told reporters.
The Manipur Police in a statement today said this is a last and crucial opportunity for everyone to contribute to peace, communal harmony, safeguarding the future of youths and security of society.
"We again request all those still in possession of such weapons to avail themselves of this final chance to surrender them without any fear of prosecution within the given period. Together, let us work towards a safer and more secure future of Manipur. Together we can," the police said in the statement.
AT member Munindro Mangang today reiterated what they said after meeting the Governor on Tuesday, i.e. conditions such as complete destruction of illegal opium poppy cultivation across the state, border-fencing, carrying out the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise with 1951 as the base year, and bringing the Meitei community under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, among others, were necessary.
"They [administration] told us they will not give separate administration to the Kukis," Mr Mangang said.
The administration has not, however, given any statement on this matter.
"We have to cooperate with the security forces. They and the police will guard the villages in the foothills and periphery areas, the Governor agreed. We also asked for general amnesty, and they said they will consider this request. They agreed on free movement of unarmed Arambai Tenggol members," Mr Mangang told reporters.
'Was Compelled To Take Up Arms'
The AT, comprising members of the valley-dominant Meitei community, says it was a cultural organisation that was compelled to take up arms as "village volunteers" due to ineffective law enforcement in the early days of the ethnic violence; it says lack of law enforcement led to Meitei villages in the foothills coming under attacks from Kuki militants.
The Kuki tribes, however, have alleged the AT launched attacks on their villages along the inter-district borders after the first wave of clashes in May 2023, which forced the Kuki tribes to take up arms and form village defence forces.
Many AT members including its chief Korounganba Khuman are named as accused in police cases and those being handled by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor on Tuesday, the AT asked for "no arrest or legal action against village volunteers including Arambai Tenggol by any commission, tribunal, court, etc".
The Governor's call for surrender of looted and illegally held weapons by people from both warring communities is significant since the state is under the President's rule.
Kuki and Meitei civil society organisations have been asking the Centre to ensure simultaneous disarmament due to the severe loss of trust between the two sides - both accuse each other of attacking villages in the foothills, where the valley and the hills meet.
The Meitei community has alleged Kuki militants under the guise of "volunteers" have been attacking villages in the foothills, while the Kuki tribes have alleged the AT is a "radical Meitei militia" that have been attacking Kuki villages.
With President's rule in place and communities disarmed, the onus of ensuring security and stopping any attacks at villages in the foothills and highways lies on the police and the central forces, AT members have said.
Many civil society organisations in the valley areas have appealed to the security forces to ensure a complete stop to attacks in inter-district villages after the AT surrendered their arms.
'Any Who Tries To Sabotage Road To Peace...'
"What will be challenging, not that it can't be done, is for the joint security forces under the President's rule to guarantee protection from attacks by sneaky militants from either side on Meitei and Kuki civilians and volunteers who have deposited looted firearms. It does not matter whether the militants are under a ceasefire. Anyone who tries to sabotage the road to peace will regret it," a top central force officer told NDTV on phone from Imphal, requesting anonymity, on February 20, the day the Governor announced the seven-day deadline.
"Trust is already low between the two communities. The last thing anybody, Meitei or Kuki, wants is being attacked after they have deposited firearms. Civil society organisations on both sides should discourage their young people from arming themselves and trust the forces that they will act against banned militant groups and those who violate ceasefire rules," a senior police officer who supervised the surrender of arms today told NDTV.
The valley-dominant Meitei community and over a dozen distinct tribes collectively known as Kuki, who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation. Over 250 have been killed and 50,000 have been internally displaced.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his council of ministers resigned on February 9, after which the Governor placed the assembly in suspended animation, or MLAs active but without powers, following the imposition of the President's rule.
