Naga Insurgents Claim To Burn Manipur Poppy Farms, Kukis Allege Attack In Village

Some structures including huts at a village in Manipur's Kangpokpi district were set on fire by insurgents today. The Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) in a statement to the media claimed responsibility. The ZUF said it acted as part of a "decisive campaign" against illegal opium poppy cultivation, narcotics trafficking and alleged encroachment by illegal immigrants in areas that it described as "ancestral, customary and historical territory of the Zeliangrong Inpui Naga people." The Kangpokpi-based Kuki civil society group CoTU, which works closely with Kuki insurgents who are part of the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement, in a statement asked the state government to catch the perpetrators within 24 hours. If not done, the organisation will impose a shutdown on key highways, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) said.