Meitei Narco-terrorists: The True Story of Meitei Narco-Terrorism

For a considerable period of time, the issue of narco-terrorism has been portrayed by the Meitei press, media and social media with the sole purpose of showing the Kukis in a negative light, and to eventually shift the onus on the Kukis as the community providing the spark for the already-planned Meitei genocide pogrom. And, it reeks of racial profiling.

Who are the real narco-terrorists?
The Meitei terrorists are notorious for cultivating poopy in Myanmar in order to fund their anti-India activities. The Meitei terrorists are nothing more than drug cartels setting up their “heroin refineries” in the jungles of Myanmar, just across the international border. For their refineries they require huge amount of land to cultivate poppy, and eventually the poppy resins.

Various fronts like Meitei COCOMI, Meira Paibis and even the Meitei government officials, including the Meitei CM have put the blame on the Kuki community for the poppy cultivation and drug trade.
Facts: Anti-poppy exercises were conducted in both the Kuki and Naga dominated hills of Ukhrul, Senapati, Kangpokpi, Kamjong, Churachandpur, and Tengnoupal districts. Data of the government shows that 2,518 people arrested under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 between 2017 and 2023; only 873 were from the Kuki-Chin community, while 1,083 were Muslims, 381 Meiteis, and 181 were from other communities. 381 meiteis were arrested, but it is estimated that the actual Meiteis indulging in the drug trade would be much more, as the Meitei police and Meitei government is known for its racial profiling of the Kukis in any manner with a deliberate attempt to malign the community for its failure. In fact, it is seen that the Meitei police are themselves indulging in the drug trade, and only they are arrested when they don’t pay up the demanded fees of their Meitei bosses. As recent as in January, 2023, five meitei police commandos in police uniform, carrying service weapons, were arrested in Kakching for carrying high-quality heroin weighing over 1.14 kg and thousands of “WY” narcotic pills in a police vehicle. Yet no Kuki called the Meiteis as narco-terrorists.

Scroll reported in June 2023 that the SP of NAB, Meitei Meghachandra admitted that the opium trade also involved “Meiteis, Muslims, Nepalis” from the valley. Yet, in the valley, the Kukis continue to be blamed for the narcotics trade.

Background
The racial profiling of the Kukis as narco-terrorists is nothing but a ploy to seize the lands of the kukis under the garb of War on Drugs by arresting them, evicting them from their lands, and to hand it over to the Meitei terrorists so that these terrorists can build a safe haven to attack the Indian Army, in case the Meira-paibis and the COCOMI are unsuccessful in removing the Indian Army/ Assam Rifles from the Kuki Hills.

In the 1990s, a malafide sense of over-entitlement developed amongst the Meitei intelligentsia that only the meiteis have the right to all the hills, and the Kukis/ Nagas are mere tenants. Since the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Meitei terrorists, ably supported by the Meitei intelligentsia and politicians, have tried to forcibly seized the Kuki - Hmar hills by introducing poppy cultivation to the Kukis; by killing and maiming the innocent Kuki and Hmar villagers utilising guns and landmines; and even going to the extent of raping 21 Hmar women in 2006. During this period, the Meitei terrorists introduced the poppy seeds to the Kukis of the interior areas of Chandel; forced them to cultivate it; taught them how to reap the fruits; and forced them to carry the poppy products to Myanmar. The only motive of the Meitei terrorists was to earn huge amount of money to fund their narco-terror activities, to make the Kuki people addicted to opium, and to finally seize their land, in an attempt to replay the colonial tactics in Nagaland and in the Opium War of China. The high-handed attitude of the Meitei terrorists was becoming too unbearable for the Kukis. One Kuki from Chandel stated that a fellow villager was given capital punishment (death) by the Meitei terrorists for refusing to cultivate poppy.

Fortunately, the Meitei terrorists were eventually flushed out from the hills by the Indian Army with the active aid of the Kuki-Hmar villagers of Churachandpur, Chandel and Pherzawl. As this terror tactic of grabbing the land was found wanting, the Meitei intelligentsia adopted another approach, and this time the Meitei Chief Minister N Biren was considered by them to be their most appropriate puppet.

N Biren Singh then followed their advices, and started faking the issue of Reserve Forest; raising the slogan of “war on drugs”; labelling the Kukis as illegal immigrants in order to seize the lands of the Kukis; to be handed over to the Meitei businessmen and their crony capitalist friends of the other parts of India, seeming to follow due process. It is very likely that the so-called Reserve forests will de-reserved once the Meitei businessmen and their friends are ready to carry out their various business activities such as Palm Oil cultivation, mining etc.