Manipur home minister Govindas Konthoujam on Tuesday urged the voluntary surrender of all illegal arms and support for the ongoing de-weaponisation drive to avoid arrests.
“There is still information about arms and weapons being illegally held by different groups in the valley. The government urges all concerned to voluntarily submit these weapons,” he said at the Olympic Day celebration at Khuman Lampak, Imphal.
“It is important to maintain a peaceful atmosphere in the valley so that security forces could focus effectively on search and combing operations in the hill districts,” he added.
He said that additional security personnel, including newly deployed COBRA units of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), are stationed to track down those involved in violent activities.
He added that the state government discussed the arrest of three Arambai Tenggol (a Meitei group) members on Friday for “attacks on security forces, looting of arms and ammunition, and bank robberies”— with the director general of police (DGP) Mukesh Singh.
