Imphal, May 2 (). Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday claimed that immigrants from Myanmar are responsible for deforestation, opium cultivation and drug menace in the state.
In a series of social media posts, the chief minister said the state government would continue to accord top priority to the safety and security of Manipur and its entire indigenous people.
To protect the state, Singh said, the government has launched the Green Manipur campaign, identified encroached reserved forest land, promoted cultivation of fruits and vegetables and destroyed all opium farms. The campaign against drugs is now in full swing.
The chief minister’s statement assumes significance as tribals last week launched fresh protests against the state government’s crackdown on illegal cultivation of opium, following which arson and looting of government properties in reserved and protected forests, especially in hilly areas, Incidents of violence including sabotage had begun.
Attaching photographs of the two arrested drug peddlers, the chief minister tweeted, “These are the people who are destroying our generation.” They are destroying our natural forests to plant opium, and inflaming communal issues to fuel their drug trade.
A police officer said that a team of Sinhat police station arrested two persons traveling on a Chinese Cannon bike at Joupi camp and recovered 16 kg of opium concealed in a gunny bag from their possession. The arrested persons, Thangbiaklun Guite (40) and Nangkhenmang Munluah (42), are being interrogated by the police, the official said.
Meanwhile, night curfew continued in Manipur’s Churachandpur district for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday, though no fresh incident of violence was reported from the hill district in the last 72 hours. A police officer said that as a precautionary measure, the district administration has decided to continue the night curfew till further orders.
In another development, the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM) has called for holding tribal solidarity marches in all hill district headquarters of the state on Wednesday, opposing the demand for inclusion of the majority Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list of the Indian Constitution. Have done
Various tribal bodies including Naga Students Union Chandel, Sadar Hills Tribal Union on Land and Forest, Tangkhul Katmanao Saklong, and Tribal Church Leaders Forum announced their support for the tribal solidarity march. ATSUM said in the statement that the rally would be organized to express protest against the Meitei community’s persistent demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe category and the need to take appropriate measures to collectively protect tribal interests.
The tribals living in the hilly areas are mostly of Christian faith and constitute more than 40 per cent of the state’s population. In protest against the state government’s action to evict tribals from forest land and destroy illegal opium cultivation in reserved and protected forests, tribals organized protest rallies in three districts – Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal – on March 10, which Five people were injured during the incident.
KC/ANM
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