Over 800 Assault Rifles Recovered So Far, Combing Ops In Manipur Active

The security forces in ethnic violence-hit Manipur have so far recovered 868 assault rifles and over 11,000 rounds of ammunition, sources have said. They found 57 guns and 318 rounds in the past 24 hours.

These weapons were looted by miscreants from the police and other forces during the violence last month, a top security officer said today.

Kuldiep Singh, the security adviser to the Manipur government, said the weapons recovered in the past 24 hours were found at Porompat in state capital Imphal and Sugnu in Kakching district.

Mr Singh told reporters curfew was eased for 12 hours in five valley districts, for 10 hours in the hills districts neighbouring Imphal. There is no curfew in six other hill districts including Tamenglong, Noney, Senapati, Ukhrul and Kamjong.

Vehicles carrying essential items ran on National Highway-37 (Imphal-Jiribam) without any trouble, he said.

The security adviser said the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduates was conducted on Tuesday at 22 centres - 12 in Imphal West and 10 in Imphal East.

The security forces also conducted joint combing operations in sensitive areas in the hills and the valley today. The operations are aimed at de-escalation of tensions among communities by recovering weapons snatched by miscreants.

The security forces are continuously working towards controlling violence and disarming the society through sustained confidence building measures among all sections of society, the army said in a statement.

Before the combing operation started in both the valley and the hills, locals were asked to surrender weapons if they have. The army said adequate measures were taken to ensure residents are not harassed during the combing operation.