Manipur: Coordinated Efforts by Security Forces Result in Seizure of 114 Arms and Explosives
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Synopsis
In a significant operation, security forces in Manipur recovered 114 weapons, including IEDs and grenades, after a 15-day surrender deadline for illegal arms expired. The operations spanned 10 districts, with joint efforts from the Army, Assam Rifles, and local police contributing to the recovery and destruction of military supplies.
Key Takeaways
- 114 weapons recovered in recent operations.
- Joint efforts by Army, Assam Rifles, and police.
- Operations conducted in 10 districts.
- Significant recovery of IEDs and grenades.
- Continued efforts to recover remaining arms.
Imphal, March 8 (NationPress) Following the conclusion of the 15-day ultimatum for the surrender of looted and unlawfully held arms, security forces intensified their search efforts across 10 out of the 16 districts in Manipur, leading to the recovery of 114 weapons, IEDs, grenades, assorted ammunition, and other military supplies, officials reported on Saturday.
A spokesperson from the Defence stated that a series of joint operations conducted over the past 24 hours by the Army, Assam Rifles, various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), and the Manipur Police resulted in the recovery of 114 weapons, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), grenades, diverse ammunition, and additional wartime supplies.
These joint operations took place in both the hill and valley districts, including Bishnupur, Senapati, Thoubal, Jiribam, Chandel, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Imphal East, Imphal West, and Kakching.
The security forces also dismantled several bunkers located in Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal districts.
In Nepali Basti of Bishnupur district, a joint operation by the Indian Army and Manipur Police led to the recovery of seven weapons, which included two carbines, two pistols, two rifles, and one improvised mortar, along with ammunition and other military supplies.
In a similar operation in Chandel district, authorities recovered a total of 55 weapons, including nine 12-bore single barrel rifles, twelve muzzle-loaded rifles, one 12mm single bore shotgun, one single barrel rifle, 32 improvised mortars of various calibers, four IEDs, grenades, ammunition, and other military supplies.
In Senapati district, acting on intelligence reports regarding the presence of arms and ammunition, the Assam Rifles, in collaboration with Manipur Police, conducted a joint operation in the area of Taphou Kuki, leading to the recovery of four weapons, which included two bolt-action single-barrel guns, one double-barrel gun, and one 12 Bore single barrel rifle.
Furthermore, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police seized 15 weapons from the Gothol areas in Churachandpur district.
In the diverse Jiribam district, a joint operation by the Assam Rifles and Manipur Police in Ankhasu village resulted in the recovery of nine improvised mortars (Pompi).
In Imphal East district, operations in areas such as Pourabi, Sawombung, and Kalika led to the recovery of six weapons.
The Manipur Police also apprehended two members of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) militant group and seized arms and ammunition from them.
The Defence spokesperson indicated that joint operations aimed at recovering the remaining looted arms and ammunition would persist in both valley and hill districts.
According to police officials, in response to an appeal from Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, approximately 1,023 arms and a significant quantity of ammunition had been surrendered by various individuals and organizations across five valley districts, five hill districts, and mixed-population Jiribam district since the Governor's initial appeal on February 20.
Various reports indicate that during the ethnic riots between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities that began on May 3, 2023, over 6,000 sophisticated arms and hundreds of thousands of ammunition rounds were looted from police stations and outposts by factions from both communities.
