Imphal: Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on February 28 and apprised him of the prevailing security situation in the state, even as enforcement agencies intensified action against narcotics cultivation and trafficking.
In a post on X, the Governor said he had met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. While no official readout of the meeting was issued, sources indicated that law and order, border security and ongoing anti-drug operations figured in the discussions.
Highlighting recent developments, the Governor noted that on February 27, security forces, in the presence of the District Executive Magistrate of Churachandpur, destroyed approximately 10 acres of illicit poppy cultivation at K. Bungsang in Samulamlan sub-division under Churachandpur police station.
On the same day, two passengers were apprehended at Imphal Airport under Singjamei police station in Imphal West district. The individuals, identified as Suresh (32) and Vijay Singh (28), both residents of Madhya Pradesh, were allegedly found in possession of 4.80 kg of heroin powder before boarding a flight. The accused, along with the seized contraband, were handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Imphal Zonal Unit, for further legal action. Investigation is under way.
Separately, the Governor is reported to have informed the Union Home Minister about his visit to Churachandpur district on February 24 to pay homage to late BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte. He laid a wreath and offered a shawl in tribute, and met members of the bereaved family, conveying his condolences.
Valte, the MLA from Thanlon constituency, died on February 20 at a hospital in Haryana. He had been under treatment for injuries sustained in a mob attack in Imphal on May 4, 2023, a day after ethnic violence erupted between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities in the state.
Meanwhile, reports said the family of the deceased legislator has declined to conduct his burial until the government accepts certain demands, including the creation of a separate district for the Zomi tribe and a probe by the National Investigation Agency into his death.