Imphal/Guwahati: The chief of a key Kuki body in Manipur faces legal action after a mob attacked a small team of security forces when they tried to destroy illegal opium poppy fields in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on January 31.
The Manipur government in a statement said a team of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) went to destroy illegal poppy plantations in the hill range of Kangpokpi district’s Lhungjang village, 40 km from the state capital Imphal, when they were confronted by a large mob armed with sticks.
Lhungjang is the native village of Ajang Khongsai, the chief of Kuki Inpi, the government said.
“An FIR [first information report] has been filed at Saikul police station for further investigation into the incident. The government takes the incident very seriously and condemns the mob violence in the strongest terms. Strict legal action will be taken up against all those involved, including Ajang Khongsai, who is linked to both the village and the incident…” it said in the statement.
The Kuki Inpi is an organisation that has endorsed the demand by Kuki leaders and militants under the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement for a separate administration carved out of Manipur.
