Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam on Tuesday said efforts are being made to prevent further crackdowns and arrests involving members of Arambai Tengol while maintaining that the state government remains committed to recovering illegally held weapons and restoring normalcy in the violence-affected state.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the International Olympic Day Run with Tree Plantation programme organised by the Manipur Olympic Association at the courtyard of Olympic Bhavan, Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal, the minister said discussions had been held with the Director General of Police (DGP), Manipur, regarding the ongoing operations linked to the recovery of illegal arms.
Govindas said intelligence inputs indicate that several illegal weapons are still in the possession of civilians and armed groups, making continued de-weaponisation efforts necessary. He appealed to those still holding such weapons to voluntarily surrender them, stating that such cooperation could help avoid further arrests and enforcement action.
The minister said the newly appointed DGP has been focusing on restoring free movement in the hill areas of the state. While acknowledging that isolated incidents of violence continue to occur in some hill regions, he said the valley areas have largely remained peaceful.
According to Govindas, maintaining peace in the valley would allow security forces to utilise their available manpower more effectively in areas requiring focused operations. He reiterated that recovering illegal weapons remains the government’s primary objective and that de-weaponisation is a crucial step towards ending the ongoing conflict.
He also appealed to residents of the valley areas to avoid activities that could disturb the prevailing peaceful environment.
The minister’s remarks come amid renewed tensions following the arrest of three members of Arambai Tengol by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) during the intervening night of June 19 and 20. The arrests have triggered protests in several parts of Manipur, particularly in the valley region, with demonstrators demanding the unconditional release of those detained.
Meanwhile, demands for the release of the arrested members intensified on Tuesday as women vendors of Khwairamband Ima Keithel staged a sit-in protest against the NIA action.
A large number of women vendors participated in the demonstration at the historic market, bringing business activities to a standstill for the day. The protesters expressed dissatisfaction over the arrests and questioned the government’s earlier appeal for the surrender of illegal arms.
According to the protesters, people had surrendered weapons following assurances that no punitive action would be taken against those who complied. They alleged that the subsequent arrests had created doubts over the credibility of such commitments.
Carrying placards with messages such as “How can people trust future appeal, if today promise are ignored”, “Peace need trust. Trust needs honour. Honour your words. Honour the people”, and “Where is your promise”, the protesters demanded that the government honour its assurances.
Speaking during the demonstration, protester L. Mema Devi described the arrests as unfortunate and demanded the unconditional release of those detained. She urged authorities not to take further action against village volunteers or members of Arambai Tengol.
Mema Devi claimed that local volunteers and Arambai Tengol members had acted during periods of insecurity when civilians felt vulnerable, alleging that the lack of adequate protection for lives and property had forced people to take measures for self-defence.
She said peace had gradually been returning to the valley and warned that the arrests at this stage could affect the improving situation. She also cautioned that further forms of protest could be launched if the detained individuals were not released.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of continued efforts by security agencies to recover illegally possessed weapons following the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur. Earlier, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla had appealed to people in the conflict-affected state to surrender looted and illegal arms within a specified period, assuring that no punitive action would be taken against those who complied.
The NIA has not issued any immediate response regarding the demands raised by the protesters.
