Joint Forces Destroy 45 Acres of Illicit Poppy Cultivation in Manipur’s Churachandpur
A multi-agency team destroyed approximately 45 acres of illicit poppy cultivation at the Thangjing Hill Range in Churachandpur district, with authorities initiating follow-up legal action after finding no cultivators at the site.
IMPHAL/CHURACHANDPUR: In a significant anti-narcotics operation, joint security and enforcement teams destroyed approximately 45 acres of illicit poppy cultivation in the Thangjing Hill Range of Manipur’s Churachandpur district on November 5.
According to the Manipur Police, the operation was jointly conducted by the Churachandpur District Police, 1st Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), 58 Battalion CRPF, Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB), and the Forest Department.
An Executive Magistrate was present throughout the operation, providing magisterial oversight to the destruction drive.
Authorities said no persons were found at the cultivation site during the operation. As the area falls under the jurisdiction of Lhangnom village, a summons was subsequently issued to the village chief as part of the follow-up process.
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The latest operation forms part of Manipur’s continuing “War on Drugs” campaign, under which authorities have intensified action against illegal opium poppy cultivation in the state’s hill districts. Security and enforcement agencies have linked such cultivation to the wider supply chain of opium-derived narcotics and drug trafficking networks operating in the Northeast.
The November 5 operation also highlights the continued use of a multi-agency strategy involving police, central and state security forces, narcotics authorities, forest officials and district administration. In several previous operations, authorities have similarly destroyed illicit cultivation and initiated legal proceedings when cultivators were not found at the sites.
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Manipur has undertaken large-scale poppy destruction operations since the anti-drug campaign was intensified around 2017. Official data from the Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MARSAC) and the NAB wing of the state police have indicated that more than 19,000 acres of illicit poppy cultivation were destroyed across multiple districts during the campaign’s earlier years.
Satellite and ground-based monitoring have also indicated a decline in the area under illegal cultivation in recent years, although authorities continue to identify and target cultivation sites in vulnerable hill regions.
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Officials have maintained that the campaign aims not only to disrupt the supply of opium-derived drugs but also to protect forest areas and discourage further illegal cultivation through crop destruction, monitoring and legal action.
No arrests were reported in connection with the November 5 operation, as no individuals were found at the cultivation site. Authorities are expected to continue follow-up action as part of the investigation.
The operation at Thangjing Hill Range underscores the state’s continued emphasis on sustained multi-agency coordination and intensified action against illicit poppy cultivation in identified hotspot areas.
