130 weapons are stored in a Dropbox account in Imphal Valley where children may anonymously leave weapons

Local youth have taken advantage of the anonymous opportunity to store 130 guns, including sophisticated automatic rifles, in a drop box for returning weapons recovered from security personnel placed up at the residence of a BJP MP from Imphal East.

Please deposit your seized weapons here, reads a huge banner outside the residence of L Susindro Meitei, a current minister in the Manipur government, in both English and Meitei.

“Feel free to do so” is added as a tagline underneath this, implying that inquiries concerning how the visitors came to have the weapons would not be raised.

When a PTI correspondent got there this morning, a few weapons, including a few automatic rifles and live ammo belts, were already there.

Susindro set up the facility because “Many a time those who come to surrender arms hesitate out of fear of the police… that’s why this anonymous box,” he told PTI over the phone. Susindro was touring his constituency area persuading young villagers to join the peace process by depositing their weapons.

Since it was established up a few days ago, he said, 130 firearms have so far been delivered. The police have the keys to the box and are welcome to get the firearms at any moment, the MLA said.

When ethnic violence erupted in the state of Manipur in early May, cops’ stations were raided for firearms in large quantities.

Since then, both N. Biren Singh, the chief minister, and Amit Shah, the minister of the interior, have urged people to give up their guns.

To disarm communities and restore peace, state police and army personnel have been working together to conduct combing operations.

An official said that security personnel conducted coordinated search operations on Friday and found at least 35 firearms and warlike supplies.

The ethnic unrest in Manipur that started a month ago resulted in at least 100 fatalities and 310 injuries.

Currently, there are 37,450 people living in 272 aid camps. After a “Tribal Solidarity March” was organized in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s quest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation, fighting initially started on May 3.

The majority of Meiteis, who make up around 53% of Manipur’s population, reside in the Imphal Valley.

Another 40% of the population is made up of the Naga and Kuki tribal groups, who live in the hill areas.