In a major crackdown on illicit poppy cultivation, around 45 acres of illegal plantations were destroyed during a joint operation by Churachandpur District Police and security agencies at Thangjing Hill Range in Churachandpur district on November 5.
The large-scale operation involved Churachandpur District Police, 1st Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), 58 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) and the Forest Department. The operation was conducted in the presence of an Executive Magistrate.
Despite the extensive cultivation spread across approximately 45 acres, no individuals were found at the site during the operation.
Following the operation, a summons was issued to the chief of Lhangnom village, under whose jurisdiction the area falls.
The destruction of such a large area of illicit poppy cultivation once again brings the scale of the narcotics cultivation challenge in the hill districts of Manipur into focus. The absence of cultivators at the site, coupled with the subsequent summons to the village chief, raises questions about the identification of those involved and the enforcement of accountability for illegal cultivation on such a scale.
