UKHRUL/KAMJONG: A video purportedly showing a large-scale poppy plantation in the Shongphel-Mullam hill ranges of Ukhrul district has triggered controversy after individuals heard speaking in the Kuki dialect allegedly made sexually explicit and derogatory remarks targeting the Tangkhul Naga community.
In the circulating footage, the individuals are allegedly heard taunging the Tangkhul Naga community, making sexually explicit remarks directed at Tangkhuls, with the translated words reportedly amounting to, “Come, come, let’s f***.”
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The viral video has also drawn attention to the alleged large-scale poppy cultivation depicted in the footage, with concerns raised over the continued cultivation of the narcotic crop in the Ukhrul and Kamjong hill ranges.
Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh reacted to the circulating footage on X, writing, “Imagine what will be the fate of our future generations? Let’s act before it’s too late,” while tagging the Narcotics Control Bureau of India.
Meanwhile, the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Ukhrul district, in a press release issued on November 5, denied allegations circulating online identifying the woman in the video as its vice-president, Mercy Khongsai.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE
The KSO clarified that the woman appearing in the footage was not Khongsai and that her name and designation had been wrongly attached to an unrelated individual.
KSO-Ukhrul further stated that the location identified as Shongphel and Mullam was supplied by the administrator of a Facebook page and had not been independently verified. It alleged that the false identification originated from the Facebook page Tangkhul Naga Herald and was subsequently amplified by other social media accounts. It demanded the removal or correction of misleading publications and said legal action was being pursued.
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It may be noted that the Mullam-Shongphel hill ranges have previously witnessed anti-poppy cultivation operations by security forces and government agencies.
According to an FIR registered at Litan Police Station, a joint team comprising Ukhrul district police, security forces, the Forest Department, Narcotics and Crime Branch and other agencies destroyed approximately 105 acres of alleged illegal poppy cultivation in the area on December 19 and 20, 2025. No cultivators were found during the operation, and a case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for investigation.
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