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IMPHAL — District Magistrates in all the northeastern states have issued separate orders asking licensed holders of arms to deposit their guns at the nearest police stations to ensure no untoward incidents occur during the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
“District Magistrates of the eight northeastern states have issued separate orders directing the licensed armed owners to deposit their arms and ammunition to their nearest police stations within this month, failing which their licensed arms would be confiscated by the authority,” a government reads.
It said that the orders have been issued with a view to maintain law and order and to ensure peaceful conduct of the general election
During the ethnic violence, which broke out in Manipur on May 3 last year, violent mobs, attackers and various groups looted around 5,000 arms, including sophisticated weapons, and lakhs of ammunition from the armories of the security forces in different districts.
The Manipur government on a number of occasions urged the arms looters to return the arms and ammunition to the security authorities.
A senior Manipur Police official said last week that most of the looted arms and ammunition were recovered and massive searches and numerous efforts were on to recover more.
Several militant outfits both in the valley and in the hilly areas are in possession of a large cache of arms and ammunition and occasionally engaged in gun battles with the security forces.
Elections to the 25 Lok Sabha seats across eight northeastern states will be held in the first three phases of the seven-phase 2024 parliamentary elections, with 15 seats, including one (Outer Manipur) partly, going to the polls in the first phase (April 19), seven (one partly-- Outer Manipur) in the second phase (April 26) and four in the third phase (May 7).
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Saturday announced the schedule of Assembly elections of the two northeastern states – Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, along with two other states - Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats) will be held in the first phase on April 19.