Imphal: The Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), Kamson faction, on Monday burnt some houses and farm structures reportedly used by illicit poppy cultivators at Waphong area of the Songnung Sadar Hills in Kangpokpi district of Manipur. The village is predominantly inhabited by members of the Kuki community.
According to a press communique issued by the armed outfit, the operation was carried out at around 12.15 pm as part of what it described as an intensified campaign against illegal poppy cultivation, narcotics trafficking, and unauthorised settlements within the ancestral, customary, and historical territory of the Zeliangrong Inpui Naga people.
The ZUF claimed that despite repeated public warnings and what it termed as sufficient time given for peaceful compliance, those involved continued with illegal activities. As a result, the outfit said it set fire to farmhouses, destroyed poppy farms, and dismantled other materials allegedly linked to illegal cultivation and unauthorised structures in the Waphong area under Songnung Sadar Hills in Kangpokpi district.
In its statement, the outfit alleged that such activities pose serious threats to public safety, indigenous land rights, and the future of the region. It further asserted that no “foreign or illegal settlers” would be allowed to exploit or occupy ancestral land of the Zeliangrong Inpui Naga people under any circumstances.
Reiterating its stance, the ZUF said it remains resolute in eliminating illegal poppy cultivation and narcotics networks and in removing all unauthorised settlements from what it considers indigenous land, adding that the defence of its land, identity, and future is “non-negotiable”.
Meanwhile, some Kuki civil society organisations condemned the incident.
