Forty-six cadres of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party-People’s War Group laid down their arms at a Homecoming Ceremony in Imphal East district on July 21, in what officials and independent reports describe as the outfit’s first mass surrender since Manipur’s ethnic conflict began in May 2023.

The ceremony was held at Mantripukhri Garrison, headquarters of Assam Rifles (South), where the cadres surrendered before Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh. According to regional press reports, the group handed over 28 weapons, including AK-series rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, along with magazines and explosives. KCP-PWG chairman L Ranjit Singh surrendered along with the group, telling reporters the outfit had decided to shun violence after years of hardship affecting cadres and their families. The event was attended by the state’s home minister, several MLAs, the chief secretary, the security adviser to the Manipur government, the General Officer Commanding of Spear Corps, the Director General of Police, and the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (South), among other officials. Surrendered cadres are set to receive a monthly stipend of up to ₹6,000 for three years and a one-time rehabilitation grant of ₹4 lakh.

Addressing the ceremony, the Chief Minister said Manipur had enjoyed a peaceful environment before the violence that broke out on May 3, 2023, and that the conflict had fuelled what he called an alarming gun culture in the state. He said sustained operations by central and state security forces had led to the recovery of more than 8,000 weapons overall, including over 1,200 firearms since the present state government was formed on February 4, with around 600 of those recovered weapons traced to government armouries that had been looted during the unrest.

The surrender came in the same stretch as a run of arrests and weapons recoveries reported by security forces elsewhere in the state. The Assam Rifles said that in a series of intelligence-based operations conducted independently and jointly with Manipur Police between July 13 and July 18, it apprehended six active cadres linked to the proscribed PLA, KCP (MC Progressive), KCP (PWG) and KYKL outfits across Tengnoupal, Imphal East, Thoubal, Chandel and Kakching districts. In a separate joint operation in Imphal West, the force said it recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, including seven firearms, a 9mm pistol and 25 rounds of ammunition. Sentinel NE Desk could not independently corroborate this specific bulletin beyond the Assam Rifles’ own statement.

Separately, Manipur Police said security forces arrested two juvenile cadres of KNF (MC) on July 6 from a militant camp at P. Geljang in Churachandpur district, recovering 77 rounds of 5.56mm live ammunition in the process.

Taken together, the operations illustrate the twin tracks security agencies have pursued in Manipur through the conflict’s fourth year: continued raids and arrests targeting active insurgent cadres, running alongside surrender and rehabilitation efforts aimed at drawing armed groups back into civilian life.