IMPHAL/NEW DELHI: With the recovery of 57 arms, 318 ammunition and five bombs in the last 24 hours, security forces in Manipur have recovered 868 automatic weapons and 11,518 ammunition looted from police stations and district armouries during the ethnic riots that erupted on May 3, a top official said Wednesday.
The security adviser to the Manipur government, Kuldiep Singh, said that the latest recovery was made from the Porompat police station in Imphal East and Sugnu police station under the Kakching districts.
While addressing the media, Mr Singh said that the curfew has been relaxed for 12 hours in five Valley districts and 8-10 hours in the neighbouring hill districts. There was no curfew in six other hill districts.
Movement of essential items along NH-37 is ensured. A total of 244 empty vehicles left Imphal for Jiribam on Wednesday besides 212 loaded vehicles left Noney and 212 loaded tankers and trucks left Jiribam.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Neet) UG 2023 for entrance to MBBS/BDS course was peacefully conducted on Tuesday at 22 centres (12 in Imphal West and 10 in Imphal East) in which the attendance was normal, Mr Singh informed.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an apex body of Valley-based civil society organisation, said that local youths were unwilling to hand over weapons as Kuki terrorist attacks intensified.
In a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, the outfit has appealed to the government to replace the “inactive para-military troopers” and sought the deployment of the “more sincere security organisations like BSF and similar such forces immediately to establish a sense of confidence among the masses”.
“We have witnessed the Meetei (Meitei) volunteers complying with the home minister’s appeal with a sense of confidence and respect.
However, it is very unfortunate that the attacks and aggression from the Kuki militants have been intensified again and there is no sign of any retreat from their side,” the letter said.
