Govindas gives exact number of arms recovered post May 3, 2023 7437 arms recovered till date

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Mar 11: Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam has stated that the number of weapons recovered by security forces has exceeded the number of weapons looted from police following the May 3, 2023 violence.
Clarifying to a cut motion raised by MLA Keisham Meghachandra while discussing Demand No 7 (Police) in the State Assembly today, Govindas said that 7437 weapons have been recovered so far against 6020 weapons looted from police armouries.
He added that 1000 of the looted weapons are yet to be recovered.
The Home Minister stated that the Government has been working hard to recover all the looted weapons.
He said that the Government has been working at different levels to rebuild trust among different communities and restore complete peace in the State.
He admitted that there are still restrictions on free movement in some areas.
With assistance from the Government of India, a process of modernizing Manipur Police is underway. But the State, crippled by limited resources, is unable to contribute its share, Govindas said.      
He said that there is no separate manual or code for Manipur Police and the department has been operating under the Assam Police manual.
Nonetheless, efforts are on to draft a manual for Manipur Police at the initiative of Chief Minister Y Khemchand, he said.
On census operations, Govindas recalled that complaints were filed even at the level of the Supreme Court in 2001.
The State Government under Chief Minister Y Khemchand and BJP have been discussing that it will be  difficult to carry out census operations under the prevailing law and order situation of Manipur. Several committees have also been formed at the party level, the Home Minister said.
Soon after a committee was formed to identify illegal immigrants, the violent crisis erupted. As such, the process of identifying and deporting illegal immigrants  could not proceed successfully, he said.
The Government of India has been providing full cooperation to the State Government toward identifying illegal immigrants. While the State Government has been collecting biometrics of illegal immigrants, the Government of India has started deploying security forces along the border to prevent illegal immigration, he said.
Moreover, mobile security teams have been deployed in the border areas, he added.
In addition, permanent mobile check-posts are being set up in border areas to check illegal immigration, movement of armed miscreants, insurgents and drug smugglers, Govindas said.
Taking due note of the fact that no kingpins could be identified so far even though huge quantities of drugs and many couriers have been arrested in the State, the State Government under Chief Minister Y Khemchand has initiated necessary measures to identify drug kingpins, the Home Minister told the House.
It is true that the amount earmarked for providing financial assistance to IDPs is not sufficient. Nonetheless, ex-gratias have been paid to those killed in the violence, relief support in the form of cash and DBT has been released, funds for construction of houses have been released and many IDPs are being given livelihood training, he said.
But all these assistance are not enough for rehabilitation and resettlement of IDPs, he added.
Raising the cut motion, MLA K Meghachandra said that the prolonged political unrest in neighbouring Myanmar has been driving a large number of illegal immigrants to Manipur.
Illegal immigrants have been coming continuously to border areas of Manipur inhabited by Kukis as well those areas inhabited by Nagas, he said.
Meghachandra cited reports of influx of illegal immigrants in Kamjong and Ukhrul districts.
He urged the Government to take the issues of border fencing and identification of illegal immigrants with utmost seriousness.
He also urged the State Government to send a detailed report to the Centre and seek an economic package for re-construction of houses destroyed in the course of the prolonged violence.
He also highlighted the open movement of SoO cadres with arms beyond their designated camps.
The Congress MLA further urged the Government to bring out a roadmap for restoration of peace and normalcy in the State.