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31 cadres of four militant groups lay down weapons in Manipur

The militants surrendered amid the annual Sangai festival
Last Updated 16 November 2022, 15:20 IST

At least 31 cadres belonging to four militant groups in Manipur surrendered on Wednesday and deposited their weapons before Chief Minister N. Biren Singh at Imphal.

Of these, 17 cadres belong to KCP (PWG), seven to PREPAK, four to UNLF and three to three to KYKL. The insurgent groups have not yet joined dialogue with the government despite appeals by the state government as well as by the Centre.

Spear Corps of Assam Rifles and Manipur police persuaded the insurgents to come overground and join the mainstream, said a statement issued by Assam Rifles.

The insurgents surrendered one M-16 rifle, one M-4 rifle, one lethod gun with three rounds of ammunition, one local made single barrel gun with five rounds, three .32 pistols, three .22 pistols, one 12mm pistol, one IED and four 7.65mm pistols, said the statement.

"Security forces compliment the insurgents for this decision and impress upon all those who have chosen the wrong path to join back into the mainstream and live a happy and peaceful life. Families of the surrendered insurgents also expressed their gratitude to the security forces for safely bringing their loved ones back to the family," said the statement.

The militants surrendered at a time when Manipur is celebrating the annual Sangai Festival in grand style this year. The BJP government in the state is trying to promote the festival as Manipur's image makeover from being a disturbed state to a tourist attractions.

Although militancy-related violence in the Northeast has come down by 80 per cent since 2014, the situation in Manipur has still remained a concern with several insurgent groups still out of the peace process.

Welcoming the insurgents to the mainstream, Biren Singh the government is open for all forms of ways for talks with the insurgent groups willing to resolve the issues. He said no FIR would be lodged against the surrendered militants if they are not involved in heinous crime.

The surrendered cadres would get one time assistance of Rs. four lakh and monthly stipend of Rs. 6,000 for three years, under a Centre's scheme meant for rehabilitation of the militants in the Northeast. They would also be provided skill development training for employment.

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(Published 16 November 2022, 11:00 IST)

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