46 KCP-Taibanganba Cadres Surrender Arms, Join Mainstream in Manipur
The surrender, including four women cadres, comes days after the Chief Minister announced a 15-day deadline for handing over illegal weapons and urged insurgents to abandon violence.
IMPHAL- In a significant development in Manipur’s efforts to reduce armed insurgency, 46 cadres of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party-Taibanganba Group (KCP-T), including four women, surrendered their arms to the state government in Imphal on Tuesday.
The surrender took place during a “Homecoming Ceremony” organised by the Manipur Home Department at the 1st Manipur Rifles Parade Ground. The government described the development as an important step towards peace, reconciliation and the reintegration of former insurgents into mainstream society.
The development comes just days after Chief Minister Khemchand Singh announced a 15-day deadline for the surrender of illegal weapons, as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s peace process. The government said the latest surrender followed that public appeal.
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Addressing the ceremony, Chief Minister Khemchand Singh acknowledged that the crisis that began on May 3, 2023, may have prompted some individuals to take up arms and join insurgent organisations. He stressed that violence and possession of weapons had not brought peace to the state and welcomed the KCP-T cadres for choosing to surrender.
The surrendered cadres will be covered under the Revised Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Policy, 2018. According to the government, each eligible surrendered cadre will receive a monthly stipend of up to Rs 6,000 for 36 months, along with a fixed-deposit grant of Rs 4 lakh. The government also said it would facilitate skill-based training to help former cadres establish sustainable livelihoods.
The surrender also had a broader political dimension. The Chief Minister said the government supports demands for implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur, but criticised the use of bandhs as a form of protest. He called for alternative democratic methods, arguing that shutdowns adversely affect students, educational institutions and daily-wage workers.
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Manipur Director General of Police Mukesh Singh said the cadres had chosen to return to their families, communities and responsibilities as citizens by abandoning armed activities. He said the police would support the legal surrender, verification and rehabilitation process for those who genuinely give up violence.
The DGP, however, cautioned that the success of the homecoming would not be measured by the ceremony itself, but by whether the surrendered cadres remained committed to abandoning violence in the future.
During the ceremony, a formal acceptance of surrender was signed between the government and the KCP-Taibanganba group. KCP-T chairman Haobijam Dilip, alias Taibanganba, signed on behalf of the group, while Joint Secretary (Home) Dr M. Veto Singh signed for the government.
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The weapons and ammunition surrendered included various rifles and pistols, an RPG, a 40 mm weapon, a 51 mm mortar, revolvers, cartridges and other ammunition. Explosive items including hand grenades and detonators were also handed over, along with communication equipment.
The latest development follows another surrender ceremony held on July 21, when 46 cadres of the KCP-PWG laid down arms at Mantripukhri Garrison in Imphal.
Taken together, the two ceremonies indicate a continuing government emphasis on surrender, rehabilitation and reintegration as part of its approach to reducing armed activity in Manipur. The immediate challenge, however, will be ensuring that those who surrender remain committed to the process and that rehabilitation translates into meaningful civilian livelihoods.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, Art & Culture and Tourism Minister Khuraijam Loken Singh, several MLAs, Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh and senior officials from the civil administration, Manipur Police and central security forces.
