Security officials say previous KCP-PWG surrenders had taken place in much smaller batches, making Tuesday’s event one of the largest by the outfit.
The development should encourage more insurgents to renounce violence and strengthen long-term peace efforts in Manipur.
Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh admitted that conflicts in the state had given risen to culture. But he said sustained operation by Assam Rifles and police have led to recovery of more than 8000 weapons in recent times. Welcoming PWG cadres, he said the state will cherish them as peace lovers. He further said 47000 displaced people from Kuki and Meitei communities have been evacuated and privided protection in the relief camps.
Forty-six KCP-PWG militants, including four women, surrendered before top civil and military officials in Imphal under the Centre’s rehabilitation scheme.
In a major counter-insurgency breakthrough amid continuing ethnic tensions in Manipur, 46 active cadres of the Kangleipak Communist Party–People’s War Group (KCP-PWG), including four women, laid down their arms on Tuesday and pledged to join the national mainstream.
The surrender ceremony, held at the Assam Rifles complex in Imphal, was attended by Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, State Home Minister K. Govindas Singh, GOC Spear Corps Lt Gen Girish Kalia, senior Assam Rifles officers, police officials and civil administrators.
The PWG faction, led by its chairman Tamnganba, formally renounced violence under the Centre’s Revised Surrender and Rehabilitation Scheme, in force since 2018.
Addressing the surrendered cadres, Lt Gen Girish Kalia, GoC SpearCorps described the event as “the beginning of a new chapter.”
“Your homecoming is the beginning of a new chapter. The mainstream is ready to welcome you and support you,” he said, assuring them of safety, dignity and assistance in their reintegration into society.
Calling the occasion “a profound transition from violence to prosperity,” Lt Gen Kalia said lasting peace required both courage and trust.
Manipur Director General of Police Mukesh Singh said security operations alone could not eliminate insurgency.
“Counter-insurgency operations are not enough. People’s participation is equally important,” he said, adding that 851 militants have surrendered since 2018 under the rehabilitation programme.
Under the Centre’s rehabilitation policy, each surrendered militant is entitled to a one-time grant of ₹4 lakh, to be kept in a fixed deposit for three years, along with a monthly stipend of ₹6,000 during a three-year rehabilitation period. The cadres will also stay in designated rehabilitation camps and receive vocational training to facilitate their return to civilian life.
Security forces recovered a sizeable cache of arms and explosives from the group, including 28 weapons, among them three AK-series rifles and four AK-56 rifles, 16 magazines, nine RPG shells, 23 hand grenades, 40 electric detonators, 300 blasting caps, seven improvised explosive devices weighing around 15 kg, and 342 rounds of ammunition.
The KCP-PWG is a banned Meitei insurgent outfit that has remained active in the Imphal Valley. Security agencies have linked the group to extortion networks, arms trafficking and insurgent activities, with several of its cadres arrested in recent years during operations across Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Kakching districts.
The surrender comes at a time when Naga-Kuki tensions have resurfaced in parts of Manipur, while the larger Meitei-Kuki conflict remains unresolved despite a decline in large-scale violence.
With Meiteis constituting around 53% of Manipur’s population and tribal communities, including Nagas and Kukis, accounting for about 41%, the state continues to grapple with deep ethnic divisions.
Around 6,000 refugees from Myanmar are also living in the state.
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