Poppy fields and sheds of cultivators were destroyed during the intensified crackdown in Manipur. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
GUWAHATI
Security forces in Manipur destroyed illegal poppy plants on 476 acres of land in Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts during a five-day operation from November 11 to 15, officials said.
The poppy is grown in the hills of Manipur for the production of opium, the control of which trade is said to have been one of the reasons for the ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities that broke out in the state on 3 May 2023.
An official statement said that on November 15, a joint team of Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) razed around 20 acres of illegal poppy fields in Loibol Khullen village of Kangpokpi district.
During the operation, two bags containing packets of salt used in the cultivation process were secured. The equipment, including spray pumps, pipes, herbicides and other materials found at the site, was destroyed and burned at the site.
Poppy fields and sheds of cultivators were destroyed during the intensified crackdown in Manipur. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
“In a parallel operation on the same day, another combined team of Manipur Police, CRPF personnel and forest department officials carried out poppy eradication in the hill ranges of Kotlen village, also in Kangpokpi district,” the statement said.
The team announced the destruction of another 20 acres of illegal poppy cultivation. As part of the operation, five makeshift huts were burned, three bags of fertilizer, two bottles of herbicide and two bags of salt were confiscated and destroyed.
The largest crackdown occurred in the adjacent Ukhrul district, where security forces coordinated with several government agencies from November 11 to 15. In the villages of Somdal, Lamlai Chingfei and Litan, teams destroyed 436 acres of poppy plantations.
Officials said destruction of illegal poppy fields has intensified in the state. More strikes are likely in the coming days, they said.
Published – 16 Nov 2025 10:56 IST
