Our Correspondent
Imphal, Nov. 16 (EMN): Thirty-one cadres of five different insurgent groups laid down their arms and ammunition and joined the mainstream on Wednesday, at a homecoming ceremony at the 1st battalion Manipur Rifles banquet hall in Imphal.
Manipur Chief Minister, N Biren Singh, accompanied by Chief Secretary Dr. Rajesh Kumar, DGP Manipur P Doungel welcomed the 31 cadres (including three women)belonging to People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak(VC), Kangleipak Communist Party-People’s War Group (KCP-PWG), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup and another group.
Ministers, MLAs, top officials of Police and Assam Rifles were also present in the day’s event wherein the cadres of the insurgent groups handed over arms and ammunition to the chief minister one after another. The weapons included 15 arms -- one M16 Rifle, one M4 carbine, one Lathode gun, one single barrel rifle, seven .32 pistols, three .22 pistols and one 12mm bore pistol along with five cartridges, three Lathod shell, one Improvised Explosive Device and three live rounds.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister reiterated Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s words in his last visit to the state that ‘not a single bullet would be fired on those militants who want to return to their normal lives and join the national mainstream’ and ‘no FIR would be lodged against them unless they are involved in a heinous crime’.
Appealing to security forces operating in the state to cooperate with the government policies to encourage more cadres of insurgent groups to come to the mainstream, he also appealed to the insurgent groups to come out and join the mainstream to jointly develop a better atmosphere.
Later sharing the photographs of the day’s ‘homecoming’ ceremony in a tweet, Biren Singh wrote,“ I extend a hearty welcome to the 31 cadres of different UG groups for laying down their arms during a homecoming ceremony at 1 MR Banquet Hall, Imphal today. It is my firm belief that many more will return to the mainstream and join the work to build a progressive Manipur.”
So far, as many as 788 cadres belonging to different insurgent groups have joined the mainstream and presently 77 of them are currently in the rehabilitation camps, according to sources.
Under the revised schemes for surrender-cum-rehabilitation of militants in the NE states 2018, rehabilitation benefits given to the surrendered cadres include a one-time financial grant of INR 4 lakh to each surrendered cadre which is kept in a bank in their names as a fixed deposit for a period of three years, monthly stipend of INR 6000 per person and incentives for surrendered weapons. The surrendered cadres will stay in a rehabilitation camp for three years.
On September 15 this year, 13 cadres of KCP-PWG and one cadre of KYKL laid down their arms and ammunition and joined the mainstream at a ‘homecoming’ ceremony in Imphal.
Similarly 12 cadres of armed group Liberation Tigers of Tribals including its chairman, deputy chairman and army chief laid down their arms and ammunition on July 17 this year after 14 cadres of the United Tribal Liberation Army joined the mainstream on June 1.