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Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh today reached out to his counterpart in neighbouring Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a show of support to the Assam Police for destroying illegal opium poppy cultivation worth over Rs 27 crore.
The police in Assam's Goalpara destroyed 170 bighas (over 56 acres) of poppy plantation in January, Mr Sarma said in a post on X on Sunday.
The Assam Chief Minister also uploaded a video showing a tractor racing the poppy fields amid a large police presence.
Mr Sarma warned "local Pablo Escobars" not to try it again. The reference was to the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and leader of the Medellin cartel which at one point controlled 80 per cent of the international cocaine trade. He was killed in December 1993.
"Dear Local Pablo Escobars, sorry to spoil your planned Udta Assam party. Because Goalpara Police destroyed 170 bighas of poppy cultivation in the Char areas worth Rs 27.20 crore in January. So next time you think of drugs, think of Assam Police first," Mr Sarma said in the post on X.
Dear Local Pablo Escobars,
Sorry to spoil your planned Udta Assam party!
Because @Goalpara_Police destroyed 170 Bighas of poppy cultivation in the Char areas worth ₹27.20 crore in January.
So next time you think of drugs, think of @assampolice first.#AssamAgainstDrugs pic.twitter.com/JPt9IoxsKJ
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 2, 2025
"Udta Assam" was an allusion to the 2016 Bollywood film 'Udta Punjab', which dealt with the subject of drug addiction in Punjab.
Responding to Mr Sarma, the Manipur Chief Minister said the two states stand together in working to ensure they are "free from the shadow of drugs."
"My deep appreciation for the decisive measures taken in Assam, under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ji in addressing the challenges posed by cultivation of poppy. We stand together and remain resolute in our shared goal of building a future where every youth of the NE [northeast] is protected, nurtured, and given the opportunity to thrive free from the shadow of drugs," Mr Singh said in the post.
My deep appreciation for the decisive measures taken in Assam, under the leadership of Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri @himantabiswa ji, in addressing the challenges posed by the cultivation of poppy.
We stand together and remain resolute in our shared goal of building a future... https://t.co/G3Xl4hYQpF
— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) February 2, 2025
The Manipur Chief Minister said over 25 acres of illegal poppy plantations were destroyed in Tengnoupal subdivision's Khudei Khullen hill range and a first information report (FIR) was filed today.
Manipur has been experiencing ethnic violence between the valley-dominant Meitei community and over a dozen distinct tribes collectively known as Kuki, who are dominant in some hill areas of the state. Both communities have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.
The Kuki tribes have alleged the Biren Singh government targeted poor farmers in the hills who have no other sources of income and ignored the role of drug lords living in Meitei-dominated valley areas. The Manipur government has refuted the allegations and shared data to assert no community was singled out in the state's 'war on drugs' campaign.
A mob of some 80 people from the Kuki tribes confronted a security team that went to destroy illegal opium poppy cultivation in Manipur's Kangpokpi district and damaged four vehicles on Friday. The incident happened in the Lhungjang hill range where personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the police had gone.
A first information report has been filed into the matter.