Imphal, Feb 22: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has called for the extension of the seven-day deadline set by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla for the surrender of looted and illegal weapons. In addition, the group urged the governor to initiate formal discussions with local youth leaders to ensure a more cooperative approach in the recovery process.

While COCOMI acknowledged the necessity of the governor’s appeal, it expressed concerns that the seven-day period is too short for meaningful engagement with the public and key stakeholders. The committee emphasized the need for a careful, non-coercive approach to retrieving weapons from civilian volunteers.

COCOMI also highlighted that the looting and arming of local youth were a result of government security forces’ failure to protect vulnerable villages during the crisis. Furthermore, the committee raised alarms over the continued presence of armed Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups in the hill areas of Manipur, which it claims continue to operate with impunity under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement.