Photo Courtesy: nenews
Imphal: Forty-six cadres of the Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) surrendered to authorities on Tuesday. The event took place at the Mantripukhri Garrison, Headquarters Assam Rifles (South), in Imphal East. Militants laid down 28 weapons including AK-series rifles, INSAS rifles, SLRs, .303 rifles, carbines, pistols, single and double-barrel guns, and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. They also handed over explosives and ammunition.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh accepted the surrender alongside Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam and various military officials. The government plans to rehabilitate the men under the 2018 North East surrender policy. Each man will receive a monthly stipend of 6,000 rupees and a 4 lakh rupee grant held in fixed deposit. They will undergo three years of vocational training in a rehabilitation camp.
Khemchand noted that authorities have recovered 1,200 weapons since his government took office five months ago. This includes 600 firearms looted from police armouries during the ethnic conflict. The Chief Minister stated, "After the crisis that erupted on May 3, 2023, many youths from both the hills and the valley took up arms. Gun culture cannot ensure peace, development or prosperity."
Security officials called the mass surrender a major operational blow to the KCP (PWG), which has long operated across Imphal East, Imphal West, and Kakching districts. The group originated from the KCP founded on April 14, 1980.
However, the KCP-PWG MC Unification faction slammed the event as a fabrication. Their spokesperson, Chingkheinganba, claimed the ceremony was staged by the Assam Rifles. The faction alleged that the participants were not active members, claiming those involved were previously expelled for theft and drug abuse. They dismissed the event as a deception designed to manipulate public perception of the state’s ongoing instability.
Comments