Looted arms and ammunition yet to be recovered in restive Manipur

Guwahati, May 9: With over 800 arms and over 3000 ammunition still at large, particularly in the hands of mob and rioters, the situation in Manipur is far from being normal, and one cannot rule out the possibility of another major eventuality if the police fail to recover the rest of the looted arms and ammunition.

There have been no reports of any fresh violence in the restive state for the last 48 hours. However, the ban on mobile internet and broadband internet services will continue till May 13 in the violence-hit state. Nonetheless, the government has partially lifted the curfew so that people can buy essentials.

On Monday night, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that the mob had looted 1041 arms and 7460 ammunition from security forces during the bloody clash that broke out on May 3. The Chief Minister also said that the security forces continued operation has led to the recovery of 214 weapons and 4273 ammunition so far, and efforts are on to recover the rest of the arms and ammunition as well.

The Chief Minister’s statements confirmed that over 800 arms and over 3000 ammunition are still in the hands of rioters.

Last night’s Manipur Chief Minister’s press conference was the first official statement after the northeastern state’s clashes broke out since May 3. The Chief Minister also confirmed that the ethnic violence has so far left 60 people dead and 200 injured. A total of 1700 houses have also been burnt during the clashes while the security agencies have rescued 35,655 people and shifted them to safer places. The Chief Minister also said that nearly 20,000 people have been evacuated from the state.

“I urge the people of the state to surrender the weapons within the next 48 hours so that the legal procedures can be exempted. Otherwise, they will have to face legal action, and combing operations will be launched everywhere to recover the looted arms and ammunition,” said the Chief Minister while addressing the media.

“The government has taken all necessary steps to protect the lives and property of people without any discrimination. Three ministers have been entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the situation closely. We are instituting a high-level inquiry committee to identify those behind the violence,” Singh said.

The Chief Minister further informed that 105 columns of the Army and Assam Rifles have been deployed in the sensitive areas of the state. Apart from this, 50 companies of central paramilitary forces have also been deployed in the state to help control the law and order situation. It may be mentioned here that the Indian Army have been using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Cheetah helicopters to monitor the situation.