Officials claim War groups still in hold of 6 lakh bullets, 3,000 arms

Imphal: More than six lakh bullets and nearly 3,000 weapons are still with war communities in conflict-torn Manipur, and officials and experts are warning of a resurgence of banned terror groups in the state.
Citing data collected from various sources, officials closely monitoring the situation here said that 303 rifles, medium machine guns (MMG) and AK assault rifles, carbines, Insas Light Machine Guns (LMG), Insas rifles, M-16 and MP5 rifles were reported missing from the police in May.
In addition, since May 3, when ethnic clashes erupted in the state, the two dominant communities have targeted each other, with nearly 6 lakh bullets missing during waves of attacks on police and other security personnel.
More than 160 people have been killed in these attacks so far. About 4,537 weapons and 6.32 lakh ammunitions are missing, mainly from the Manipur Police Training Center (MTPC) at Pangei in East Imphal, the 7th India Reserve Battalion and the 8th Manipur Rifles, both located at Khabeisoi in Imphal city, officials said.
According to officials, 2,900 of the weapons stolen were classified as lethal, while others included tear gas and mini-flare guns.
He said that the looted arms and ammunition were mainly with the rioters in the valley while the hills had only 5.31 percent of such weapons.
Officials and experts are warning that the current unrest has seen the resurgence of previously dormant banned groups in the state such as the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Kanglei Yawol, Kanba Lup(KYKL) and the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangeilpak (PREPAK).
The massive support given to the cadres of these banned outfits was seen on June 24, when the Army and Assam Rifles, acting on specific intelligence, arrested 12 members of the banned KYKL in East Imphal, including self-styled ‘Lt. Col’ Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam, one of the masterminds among the 26 Army soldiers. the dead
Besides, officials said that another six to seven top cadres of other banned groups have reached the Imphal Valley and are supporting tribal groups based there.
“‘You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them to just bite your neighbor.’ Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this to Pakistan in 2011 but today it is good for Manipur where a section of the community is welcoming the return of these terrorist groups,” said a senior security official.
The official said that someday there will be a ceasefire and that day these so-called ‘heroes’ will turn their guns on the community they claim to be protecting.
Banned groups like the UNLF, which has a cadre strength of about 250, have been involved in high-level extortion in the past, as have large-scale contractors and businessmen.
The PLA, which initially started as Manipur’s ancient name ‘Polei’, aimed to liberate Manipur and establish an independent land in the Imphal Valley.
KYKL, which runs on extortion and openly supports other terrorist groups, is considered a mercenary with no ideology and a cadre mainly of criminals and drug addicts.
PREPAK, which has been banned by the government for its separatist ideology of so-called independence of Manipur and whose funding comes mainly from the extortion of traders, especially pharmacies, is mainly involved in drug trafficking and smuggling.
This terrorist group also receives extortion from the PLA and UNLF and passes them on after retaining their share.