In response to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla’s appeal to the people of the strife-torn state to voluntarily surrender looted and illegally held weapons within seven days, an umbrella body of Imphal-based civil society organisations of the Meiteis on Saturday requested him to “engage formally with local youth leaders to ensure a cooperative approach in recovering arms from civilian volunteers”.

In a statement, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity also said that the “seven-day time frame is too short for meaningful engagement with the stakeholders and the public.” Bhalla had on February 20 urged the people of the state to surrender weapons within seven days, assuring no punitive action would be initiated against those giving up arms during this period.