Security forces in Manipur have destroyed poppy plantations spread across more than 470 acres in a series of coordinated operations carried out over the past few days, police said on 16 November.
According to officials, teams comprising Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and the Central Reserve Police Force have been conducting intensified anti narcotics drives in several hill districts. The operations are part of the state’s continuing effort to curb illegal cultivation linked to the drug trade. A police statement said that on Saturday, a joint team cleared poppy plantations covering over 20 acres at Loibol Khullen village in Kangpokpi district. Officers said the team trekked through difficult terrain to reach the fields before destroying the crop.
During another operation on the hill range near Kotlen village in the same district, police personnel, CRPF officers and forest officials destroyed nearly 20 acres of poppy plantation on Saturday. As part of the drive, five huts allegedly used by cultivators were also burnt down, the statement said.
The latest figures add to a larger crackdown during the week, bringing the total area cleared to more than 470 acres. Police officials said the operations will continue in the coming days, with more surveillance planned in vulnerable zones across the hill districts. The state government has been running sustained campaigns to end illegal poppy cultivation, citing its link to drug trafficking and its impact on forest land. Security agencies said they are working with district authorities to identify and target cultivation sites using recent intelligence inputs.
Officials also said follow up measures will include filing cases, monitoring movement in the affected belts and taking action against those involved in the cultivation. Further drives are expected as part of the state’s broader effort to address narcotics production.
