Forty-six insurgents from the banned underground outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) (KCP-PWG) surrendered to the Manipur government on Tuesday, during the Centre’s rehabilitation programme, the “Home Coming Ceremony,” organised by Manipur Home Department at the headquarters of the inspector general of Assam Rifles (South) in Mantripukhri, Imphal West. The cadres also handed over 28 arms, ammunition and other weapons.
Latest Update
According to an official statement issued by the ministry of defence, Manipur, Nagaland and southern Arunachal Pradesh spokesperson, the surrendered weapons included three AK-series rifles, four AK-56 rifles, one INSAS Ex-Calibur rifle, one Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), one 9mm carbine, three .303 rifles, one RPG launcher, two 9mm pistols, one 7.65mm pistol, two double-barrel guns and nine single-barrel guns.
The surrendered cache also included 16 magazines, nine RPG shells, 23 hand grenades, 40 electric detonators, six No. 27 detonators, 300 blasting caps, seven improvised explosive devices (IEDs) weighing around 15 kg, seven communication devices and 342 rounds of ammunition.
Also Read:NIA arrests 2 more accused in abduction, killing of six Nagas in Manipur
Under the rehabilitation scheme, each surrendered cadre will receive a one-time financial assistance of ₹4 lakh, which will be kept as a fixed deposit for three years.
They will also receive a monthly stipend of ₹6,000 during the rehabilitation period, along with incentives for surrendered weapons. The cadres will stay at a rehabilitation camp for three years and undergo vocational training to facilitate their reintegration into society.
The state government in a statement said that the surrender was facilitated through coordinated efforts by the Manipur police, Assam Rifles, Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Forces (BSF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), adding that security forces would continue encouraging more insurgents to return to the mainstream.
CM described the surrender as a positive step towards restoring peace in the state and welcomed the cadres’ decision to renounce violence.
He said Manipur had witnessed peaceful coexistence among different communities before the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023, and said that the conflict had led to the looting of around 1,200 weapons, worsening the law-and-order situation.
“Gun culture can never build a good society. Violence cannot provide lasting solutions to any problem. Peace, dialogue, mutual trust and cooperation are the only ways to secure a better future for our state,” he said.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of those returning to the mainstream and commended the efforts of the Manipur Police and central security forces for protecting civilians and displaced persons during the prolonged conflict.
Director general of police Mukesh Singh said lasting peace in Manipur could not be achieved through security measures alone.
Details
They surrendered before the chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh as part of the Revised Scheme for Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation of Militants in the North Eastern States, 2018.
The DGP said the rehabilitation policy was strengthened to encourage more insurgents to surrender and revealed that 851 militants have joined the rehabilitation initiative since its inception, with many already completing the rehabilitation process and returning to normal life.
Earlier, Union home minister Amit Shah announced that the Centre aims to completely wipe out insurgency in the northeastern states by 2029.
