46 cadres of banned insurgent groups surrendered in Manipur

As many as 46 active cadres of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) (KCP(PWG)), a Meitei rebel outfit, laid down their arms in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh at the Assam Rifles (AR) headquarters on Tuesday (July 21, 2026).

“These individuals decided to embrace mainstream civilian life and voluntarily surrendered 28 sophisticated weapons comprising AK rifles, 303 rifles, pistols, double-barreled rifles, single-barreled rifles, INSAS rifle, self-loading rifle, carbine machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades,” the ministry statement and a large number of ammunition and grenade launchers. defense said.

“While some cadres were in Myanmar, others operated from the Imphal Valley and were primarily involved in extortion,” said an AR official. They are in the age group of 22-53 years.

The ministry added that the mass transition is significant because none of these cadres were part of previous peace deals. It said it was directly addressing the legacy of the KCP, founded on April 14, 1980 by communist ideologues Y. Ibohanbi and Ibopishak. Over the decades, ideological decay fractured the group into numerous entities. A faction of the People’s War Group (PWG) has emerged as a highly destructive splinter unit which has seriously affected valley districts including Imphal East, Imphal West and Kakching through anti-social and anti-national activities, the ministry said.

Severe operational degradation

“Historically, surrenders from the KCP (PWG) have occurred in much smaller increments, such as groups of five to twelve cadres surrendering to the authorities in recent years. The simultaneous submission of 46 active cadres is an unprecedented event for this particular faction. While it cannot be definitively said that this means the absolute dissolution of two of their operational PWG factions, it represents a significant anti-social disintegration,” the ministry said.

This successful turnaround is the culmination of weeks of determined outreach by the Assam Rifles, Manipur Police and allied agencies, duly supported by state government officials. Their restrained, civilian-oriented approach successfully motivated these cadres to abandon militancy, paving the way for long-stalled public infrastructure development and regional prosperity.

Published – 22 Jul 2026 09:08 IST