Manipur violence: 3,000 missing weapons keeps pot boiling in Manipur

Govt focuses on essential supplies and tracking down illegal migrants

Namrata Biji Ahuja , The Week, 14 July 2023 : Two months of deadly clashes and violence, more than a hundred deaths, but weapons still floating around in Manipur- the present situation is not only alarming but also shows the disarray that has set within the state which refuses to break the cycle of violence soon. 

After ethnic clashes broke out between the Meiti and Kuki communities in Manipur on May 3, nearly 4,500 weapons were looted from police armouries in the valley. The valley is a Meiti-dominated area. These weapons consist of Insas rifles, mortars, AK47s, even bulletproof jackets and soon after they went missing, deadly violence erupted in the state that is today grappling for essential services and commodities to reach the common man. 

State authorities told THE WEEK that out of the nearly 4,500 missing weapons, around 1,150-1,200 have been recovered. But another 3,000 weapons- sophisticated arms and ammunition meant to arm the police forces- are missing within the state. Officials said it is unlikely these weapons have gone out of Manipur, which also makes the situation worrisome as the movement of people from valley to hill areas and back is restricted, which leaves a small population within a limited geographical area still holding arms and ammunition which can lead to more violence and keep the pot boiling for some time. 

It is being estimated that nearly 500 weapons made their way into the hands of the Kuki militant groups but a large portion is suspected to be floating within the Valley where the involvement of militant groups is not being ruled out. 

With the peace talks still a far cry as distrust grips both sides, the Biren Singh government is focussing on two things- maintaining essential supplies to the state, especially far-flung areas that have been cut off and trying to ensure the people are able to go back to farming activities and daily lives. Manipur gets its LPG, fuel, grains and other essential supplies like baby food and even cement from Assam, which also comes in from Dimapur in Nagaland, but with the blocking of the main national highway, the movement of some of these supplies has been shifted to alternate routes. Sources said the essential supplies are reaching the people, which is good news for the state administration that has virtually lost its feet on the ground for now. 

The focus is also that no more violence erupts in the state but before that, there is another issue the state government is trying to address. The state government is trying to identify illegal migrants based on certain biographic and biometric details as intelligence agencies suspect that large cache of arms are being supplied using the Myanmar route and illegal migrants entering Indian territory taking advantage of the free movement regime on the border. 

Security officials said around 68,000 illegal migrants entered Manipur and Mizoram in last 3-4 years and Manipur may have around 26,000 illegal migrants. There is concern within the security agencies about these migrants indulging in illegal poppy cultivation in hill areas and running a drug mafia in the state which becomes a deadly concoction of arms and drugs, that can be used by inimical forces impacting national security. 

However, state officials conceded that the direct links of illegal migrants and militant groups - both Kuki and Meiti- in fuelling the recent violence can only be established when there are arrests of members of armed groups, who can then shed light on the suspected cross border nexus and the conspiracy of the militant groups within, to keep Manipur on the boil.