People with illegal firearms being held by the state government have been given 15 days to surrender their weapons, and they are warned that they will be punished if they do not. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had announced that to restore peace and strengthen law and order in the state after years of ethnic violence.
The Chief Minister issued the appeal on Wednesday, August 12, during an Imphal programme on the steps taken to bring normalcy back to Manipur. People who possess illegal weapons in the hill and valley were asked to hand them over through their respective Members of the Legislative Assembly or Superintendents of Police.
The announcement and presentation of weapons and explosives recovered by security forces and law-enforcement agencies was witnessed. The state got 1,422 firearms, 7,010 rounds of ammunition and 1,137 explosives recovered from February 5 to August 11, 2023. The recovered cache was displayed at the 1st Manipur Rifles Parade Ground in Imphal, highlighting the scale of the ongoing security operation.
Chief Minister Khemchand Singh also said the number of weapons voluntarily surrendered and recovered showed people in Manipur wanted peace. He also noted that there were still weapons in circulation and were to be recovered.
Manipur Govt gives 15-day ultimatum to surrender arms, 1400-plus recovered arms put on display. pic.twitter.com/u47uo52hi3
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) August 13, 2026
The Government has made the surrender appeal part of a wider push to bring lasting normalcy to the state. Manipur has witnessed a long history of ethnic violence since May 2023, and the availability of firearms remains a major challenge for security agencies and authorities.
The 15-day window is meant to allow people still holding illegal guns to surrender them voluntarily. But the government has also made it very clear that the approach will be much tougher after the deadline.
And officials have been pursuing the individuals involved in extortion and other criminal activity, with the state government warning of stiff laws, including the National Security Act, against serious culprits.
The number of recovered weapons is significant because it indicates the scale of the arms problem security agencies have been dealing with. Recovery efforts have involved intelligence-based searches, area domination operations and coordination among security forces in susceptible parts of the state.
The government’s new directive therefore consists of two strategies: giving a small chance to surrender and warning of enforcement against illegal possession.
With more than 1,400 firearms recovered in just 6 months under our present government, we are now trying to ensure that the rest of the weapons are removed from circulation. The administration hopes that the surrender drive, as well as security operations and peace outreach, will restore stability and public confidence in Manipur.
