Security forces in Manipur have wiped out more than 476 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in a sweeping series of coordinated anti-narcotics operations across Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts between November 11 and 15, 2025.
On November 15, a joint team comprising Manipur Police, Assam Rifles and the Central Reserve Police Force cleared roughly 20 acres of illicit poppy fields at Loibol Khullen village under New Keithelmanbi Police Station in Kangpokpi district. Two sacks of salt packets used in the cultivation process were seized, while spray pumps, pipes, herbicides and other equipment found at the site were destroyed on the spot.
In a separate operation on the same day, another combined team of Manipur Police, CRPF personnel and Forest Department officials carried out a poppy eradication drive in the hill ranges of Kotlen village, also in Kangpokpi district. Authorities reported the destruction of an additional 20 acres of illicit poppy plantations. Five makeshift huts were burnt down, and three bags of fertilisers, two bottles of Roundup herbicide and two bags of salt were seized and destroyed.
The largest operation took place in Ukhrul district, where security forces, in coordination with several government agencies, conducted sustained drives from November 11 to 15. In the hill ranges of Somdal, Lamlai Chingfei village and Litan, teams razed 436 acres of poppy cultivation and burnt down 51 huts used by cultivators.
The extensive crackdown marks one of the most significant efforts in recent times under the state’s ongoing campaign to dismantle illegal narcotics networks operating in Manipur’s hill districts.
