Manipur's Crackdown on Illegal Poppy Cultivation and Suspension of Militant Pact

Manipur CM N Biren Singh revealed that 412 FIRs were lodged and 87 people arrested for illegal poppy cultivation from 2017 to 2024. Additionally, the state revoked the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups in 2023, leading to its non-extension since February 2023.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh informed the assembly on Thursday that 412 FIRs have been lodged and 87 individuals arrested over the past seven years concerning illegal poppy cultivation in the state.

Responding to a query from Congress MLA Th Lokeshwor, the CM reported that a total of 16,788 acres of illegal poppy farms were destroyed between 2017 and 2024.

'From 2017 to 2024, 412 FIRs were registered for illegal poppy cultivation. Eighty-seven people, including 16 village chiefs, were also arrested from January 2017 to July 2024,' Singh stated in a written response.

Addressing another question from Congress MLA K Ranjit regarding the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, Singh mentioned that the pact has not been extended since February 29 of this year.

'The SoO is a tripartite pact between the central government, the Manipur government, and multiple Kuki militant groups. Due to the unwanted activities of the militant groups, the state cabinet decided to withdraw from the pact in March 2023,' Singh explained. 'This decision was communicated to the central government, and since then the pact has not been renewed.'

The SoO agreement, signed in 2008, involved the Centre, the Manipur government, and two associations of Kuki militant outfits—the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF). The pact was periodically renewed thereafter.

A Joint Monitoring Group (JMG), comprising representatives from central and state government agencies as well as the KNO and UPF, was formed under the SoO pact to ensure adherence to the ground rules.

Singh added, 'The SoO aims to bring peace, and the Manipur government has limited interference in it.'