- Security forces seized assault rifles, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, ammo, and explosives in Manipur hills
- Operations covered Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, Chandel, and Churachandpur districts based on credible intelligence
- Recovered weapons included 21 INSAS rifles, 11 AK rifles, 26 SLRs, two mortars, and three grenade launchers
The security forces have announced a massive haul of firearms including assault rifles, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, ammunition and explosives after intense search operations in the hill districts of Manipur.
Joint teams of the police, the Assam Rifles, and central paramilitary forces combed the hills in Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, Chandel, and Churachandpur districts based on credible intelligence that weapons have been kept hidden in these areas, a senior police officer told reporters at a press briefing in the state capital Imphal on Friday.
Most of the villages in these hill areas have a dominant population of the Kuki tribes. The security forces have also been recovering weapons from the valley areas routinely.
The recovered weapons include 21 INSAS and 11 AK series assault rifles, 26 self-loading rifles (SLR), two 51 mm mortars, and three M79 grenade launchers, among others, the office of the Director General of Police said in a statement.
The searches began Thursday midnight and ended this morning, the police said.
"These intelligence-based coordinated operations in the hill districts represent a significant achievement for the Manipur Police, Assam Rifles/army and central security forces in their ongoing efforts to restore normalcy, maintain public order, and ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property," the police said in the statement.
PRESS NOTE
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) July 4, 2025
Major Recovery of Arms and Ammunition by Manipur Police, Assam Rifles/ Army
and other Security Forces.
From the midnight of 3rd July 2025 to the morning of 4th July 2025, Security Forces (SFs) conducted
extensive search operations in the hill districts of Manipur.... pic.twitter.com/DuCRqH9gJ1
They asked the public to cooperate with the security forces in searching for illegal and looted firearms, and encouraged residents to report any suspicious activity or information linked to illegal arms to the nearest police station or the central control room.
After the Centre imposed President's rule in Manipur on February 13, Governor AK Bhalla on February 20 ordered people to hand over looted and illegally held firearms within seven days. Thereafter, the Governor extended the deadline till March 6.
A significant number of looted and illegally held firearms, ammunition and explosive material had been handed over to the security forces during the period.
The Arambai Tenggol (AT) handed over a large number of firearms to the security forces, two days after an AT delegation met Governor Bhalla. With the President's rule in place and communities disarmed, the onus of ensuring security and stopping attacks at foothill villages and highways lay with the police and the central forces, AT members had said.
Many armed men from the Kuki tribes also surrendered firearms to the security forces in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts during this period.
Both the communities, however, insisted the authorities give them assurance that no armed group or "volunteer" will be allowed to operate amid the sharp ethnic divide, except for the security forces. The Centre and the Manipur government also faced severe criticism from opposition parties over the mushrooming of "armed volunteers" on both sides who may get away with murders.
The Centre's next step was to ensure free movement across highways in Manipur from March 8. However, the Kuki tribes in Kangpokpi district violently opposed the move, while Churachandpur remained peaceful.
A video also surfaced - after the Governor's deadline for surrendering illegally held weapons ended - showing seven masked men armed with assault rifles who called themselves 'VV Eastern Zone' reading out from a piece of paper that they will not allow free movement.
The 'VV Eastern Zone' is a front of a Kuki insurgent group active in and around the border town Moreh, sources told NDTV. They are under watch and action against them is imminent, they added.
Security Forces' disperse Chin Kuki miscreants trying to block National Highway in Gamgiphai near Kangpokpi. Video 2.
— Meitei Heritage Society (@meiteiheritage) March 8, 2025
We also urge authorities to crack down on the Chin Kuki Volunteers threatening civilians who opposes their illegal blockade of the Highways. Video 1.
National... pic.twitter.com/Vl5g0wQyHX
The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.
Over 260 have died in the violence and nearly 50,000 have been internally displaced.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
