A huge drop box has been set up in front of the residence of Manipur Public Health Engineering Department Minister Leishangthem Susindro Meitei here to enable those who snatched or looted arms and weapons from security forces during the recent ethnic violence to deposit them there anonymously.
So far, 130 arms and a lot of ammunition have been deposited.
The Minister said that the box was set up to take advantage of the anonymous facility to deposit looted weapons, including sophisticated automatic rifles.
A large poster, written in both English and Meitei, in a covered shed outside the Minister's home, read: "Please drop your snatched weapons here. Feel free to do so."
Susindro, a BJP legislator from Imphal East, while touring his assembly constituency area, persuaded the youth and villagers to join in the peace process by depositing their weapons.
"Some youth who have been possessing snatched arms, hesitate to return their arms out of fear of the police. That's why this anonymous box was set up," he said.
Both Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister N. Biren Singh have earlier appealed to people to surrender their weapons and no legal action would be taken if the people deposit their arms voluntarily.
The army, various para-military forces and Manipur police have been carrying out combing operations across the state for the last nine days to recover the looted arms.
Defence sources said that operations, accompanied by executive magistrates, continued with due diligence to avoid unnecessary hardships for locals.
In all, 22 weapons, mostly automatic, were recovered from different districts during the past 24 hours, the sources added.
Manipur Information and Public Relations Minister S. Ranjan Singh said on Saturday that so far 990 arms and 13,526 ammunition, looted earlier, either surrendered or deposited to various authority including the security forces.
Media reports claimed that thousands of different types of arms and a large quantity of ammunition were looted by mobs from many police stations and security camps after the riots broke out on May 3.
Eco Survey: Demographic advantage, responsible approach position India to benefit from AI
With AI research and development currently concentrated in the hands of a few, very large companies that control the resources to erect high entry barriers, AI adoption in place of humans presents the risk of concentrating the benefits of automation.
Prez Murmu faces ‘repeated’ insults from Congress: Sonia Gandhi’s comments fuel backlash
The BJP was quick to condemn the remarks, calling them “derogatory” and accusing the Congress of disrespecting the President. BJP leaders said that Congress’s “feudal mindset” cannot accept that a tribal woman like Droupadi Murmu achieved the position of President of India.
India's farm sector has clocked robust growth on the back of govt schemes: Economic Survey
The agriculture sector in India has shown robust growth in recent years, averaging 5 per cent annually from FY17 to FY23, demonstrating resilience despite challenges, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25.
India a bright spot in global manufacturing despite persistent geo-political tensions: Eco Survey
The global manufacturing landscape has undergone significant shifts over the past decade and India has been one of the dynamic economies that gained a greater presence in the space gradually vacated by developed countries.
Nadda strongly condemns Sonia Gandhi’s ‘poor thing’ remark for President Murmu
BJP President and Union Minister J.P. Nadda has strongly condemned senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s reference to President Droupadi Murmu as a "poor thing" while commenting on her address to Parliament.
India’s economy remains steady amidst global uncertainties: Economic Survey
India’s domestic economy remains steady amidst global uncertainties, driven by robust growth in the services sector, a rebound in agriculture, and the industrial sector picking up momentum on the back of rising private consumption, according to the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Friday.
Govt bullish on creating robust infra, private sector must reciprocate too: Eco Survey
The government has laid a special focus on infrastructure -- physical, digital and social -- in the last five years and those efforts would need to be supplemented with wholehearted acceptance of the need for public-private partnerships in infrastructure across the country, the Economic Survey 2024-25 said on Friday.
Forward-looking strategic trade roadmap to create more vibrant export sector: Eco Survey
The evolving global trade dynamics, marked by gradual shifts towards greater protectionism, require assessing the situation and developing a forward-looking strategic trade roadmap, the Economic Survey 2024-25, presented in the Parliament on Friday ahead of the Union Budget 2025-26, said.