Manipur under President rule: Officials say drop in violence; spike in drug seizures

Time of India

a day ago

Manipur has seen a notable fall in violence since President's rule was imposed in February, with fewer civilian deaths and injuries, and a rise in drug seizures, officials said on Sunday.
Security forces including the Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and paramilitary units have also been working to recover thousands of weapons looted from police armouries during the outbreak of violence in May 2023.
Despite the relative calm, officials said the recovery of looted arms and the presence of valley-based banned terror groups involved in extortion and petty crimes continue to pose challenges.
A recent crackdown on cadres of the Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol, accused of inciting violence against the Kuki people, has also contributed to peace in some parts of the state.
In a key breakthrough, the Manipur Police and CBI jointly arrested Asem Kanan Singh, a dismissed head constable and prominent leader of the group, along with four associates. Singh was wanted for several offences, including an alleged attack on an Additional Superintendent of Police last year.
Following Singh's arrest, the outfit announced it would distance itself from violent street activities carried out in its name.
Since central rule began on February 13, only one protest-related fatality has been reported, in sharp contrast to the 260 deaths recorded from May 3, 2023, to the start of President's rule. Injuries have also dropped, with just 29 new cases in the last four months compared to 1,776 since May 2023. There have been no reported incidents of arson or vandalism during this period, against over 17,000 such cases earlier.
Anti-drug operations have picked up pace, with 84 people arrested under the NDPS Act.
Authorities have seized 24.4 kg of heroin, 25.7 kg of brown sugar, 31.8 kg of opium, and more than 379 kg of ganja since February.
The issue of missing firearms remains a concern. While no fresh losses have been reported since February, of the 6,020 weapons initially looted, a large number have been recovered or surrendered. In the past four months alone, 2,390 weapons have been seized, many of them confirmed as looted.
Security forces have also demolished 63 illegal bunkers recently, adding to the 548 dismantled since May last year.
Efforts to tackle extortion continue, with 336 arrests made in the last four months, out of a total of 601 cases. However, the resurgence of banned groups like the UNLF, PLA, KYKL, and PREPAK remains a concern. Officials said these groups are running extortion rackets and even settling matrimonial and property disputes outside the legal system. Police recently arrested members of one such gang.