As a breakthrough led by security forces, a search operation was conducted in different valley districts of Manipur, which recovered 328 weapons and 8,665 assorted ammunition, officials said. The combined operation carried out by the Manipur police, Central Armed Police forces, the Army and the Assam Rifles was launched during the intervening night of June 13 and 14, based on specific intelligence inputs
Since the ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023, which led to the looting of 6000 weapons and more than 1 lakh rounds of ammunition from state armouries, officials describe it as the “biggest single day recovery”. The recovered cache includes 151 SLR rifles, 65 INSAS rifles, 73 other rifles, 5 carbines, 2 MP5s, 12 light machine guns, 6 AK-series rifles, alongside a substantial cache of grenades, shells, and detonators.
The police reaffirmed their commitment to building a secure and peaceful Manipur and called on the public to report any suspicious activity or information about illegal arms to the nearest police station. Officials also acknowledged public cooperation as a key factor in the recent success and reiterated the state’s call for the voluntary surrender of looted arms without punitive consequences.
So far, more than 5,000 weapons and 60,000 rounds of ammunition have been recovered as part of the ongoing operations that involve both search-and-seize missions and voluntary returns.
In the conflict-affected state, where intermittent violence and ethnic tensions have persisted for over a year, the scale of the recovery is likely to bring a sense of cautious relief. Officials believe that the seizure will weaken armed groups operating outside the law, especially in the valley districts that have witnessed heavy unrest.
A major surrender drive that took place in February saw 307 weapons voluntarily handed over, including 246 by the Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol, marking a shift in public sentiment toward peacebuilding.
The government plans to intensify operations and community engagement in both the valley and hill regions. With public trust slowly rebuilding, security agencies remain focused on removing the remaining illegal arms and fostering long-term stability in Manipur.
