Imphal, Aug 13: The Manipur government has given civilians in possession of illegal firearms 15 days to surrender them or face legal action, as the state stepped up its drive to recover weapons looted and circulating since the outbreak of unrest.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh issued the warning on Wednesday while displaying a large cache of arms, ammunition and explosives recovered by security forces and law-enforcement agencies across the state between February 5 and August 11.
The recovery includes 1,422 firearms, 7,010 rounds of ammunition and 1,137 explosives, underlining the scale of the illegal weapons stockpile that security agencies are seeking to clear.
“Those possessing arms must surrender them to their respective MLAs or SPs within 15 days. Otherwise, legal action will be taken,” the Chief Minister said.
Director General of Police Mukesh Singh said more than 1,200 firearms had been recovered in the past five months. Around 600 of these weapons were reportedly looted from government armouries during the period of unrest.
The government has directed civilians holding illegal weapons to hand them over to their respective MLAs or Superintendents of Police within the deadline. The surrender window is being positioned as an opportunity for people to give up the weapons before enforcement measures are intensified.
Officials said the recovery operation would continue across all districts, with the focus on removing illegal arms and ammunition from circulation as part of efforts to restore normalcy and strengthen public safety.
The latest crackdown comes amid continued efforts by the state and security agencies to address the proliferation of weapons that has fuelled insecurity in Manipur since the violence began.
