Indian minister demands return of snatched guns
India's interior minister yesterday demanded people in a restive northeastern state surrender guns following deadly inter-ethnic fighting during which rival forces raided police stations and seized assault rifles. Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking to reporters on a visit to Manipur's state capital Imphal, warned of "stringent charges" for those who failed to hand in their weapons before a major police sweep begins today. Shah, a key aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived in Manipur earlier this week to tackle the unrest and also announced a probe into the causes of the violence. Clashes erupted in May between the majority Meitei, who are mostly Hindus and live in and around Imphal, and the mainly Christian Kuki in the surrounding hills. At least 70 people were killed and tens of thousands have fled. Thousands of troops have been deployed to restore order. The state's chief minister N. Biren Singh yesterday also called for people to "surrender the arms and ammunition" they had "snatched from armed police". Security sources also confirmed to AFP that guns had been seized.
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