Ukhrul, August 13: The Foothills Naga Co-ordination Committee (FNCC) has urged the state authorities to dismantle every illegal bunker, makeshift structure, and gate erected along the so-called German/Tiger Road immediately. The FNCC warned that it will, without hesitation, dismantle and uproot every bunker, makeshift structure, and gate unlawfully constructed on its ancestral lands, if the state fails to take immediate action.
Expressing its concern over the illegal and deceptive demand of the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) lobby to construct the “Drug Road” (so-called German/Tiger Road), the FNCC said in a statement that the proposed road would slice directly through the very heart of Naga ancestral homeland.
The reported endorsement of the proposed road at the highest levels of the Government of India through one Pausianmuang Tunglut, Joint Director, Ministry of DoNER grants dangerous legitimacy to a project that poses an existential threat to law and order, and inter-community harmony in Manipur, the FNCC stated.
Also Read: FNCC enforces blockade against Kukis in Naga-inhabited areas
The FNCC stated that current demand of the Kukis was neither developmental nor benign; rather, it is a calculated and sinister ploy to open the floodgates for every manner of organised, abominable criminal enterprise. The proposed road would serve primarily the narrow, corrupt interests of a small cabal of Kuki militant leaders working hand-in-glove with complicit Kuki CSO leaders, the FNCC added.
It further alleged that the proposed road would function as a logistical spine for the wholesale trafficking of narcotics and illegal arms from Myanmar into Manipur.
“The Kukis already exercise effective control over a vital national highway: NH-2, where they have systematically obstructed free movement through blockades, intimidation, and extortion… The proposed road would serve primarily the narrow, corrupt interests of a small cabal of Kuki militant leaders working hand-in-glove with complicit Kuki CSO leaders. This infrastructure would function as a logistical spine for the wholesale trafficking of narcotics and illegal arms from Myanmar into Manipur. According to verified data (as reported on Reddit), of the arrests made in drug-related cases in Manipur since 2017, “873” convicted drug traffickers belong to the Kuki community. This places the Kuki community as the top-most involved in the state’s illicit narcotics trade,” the FNCC stated.
Also Read | FNCC Issues Strong Warning Against Relocation of SoO Camps to Naga Areas
The FNCC also alleged that the Kukis generate crores of rupees daily from the existing highways through extortion and forced taxation, without any lawful regulation.
Calling the state authorities to dismantle every illegal bunker, makeshift structure, and gate erected along the German/Tiger road immediately, the FNCC alleged that the proposed Kangpokpi—Churachandpur corridor, passing through Naga villages, would effectively cement a lawless route manned exclusively by armed Kuki militants 24/7, and completely devoid of police presence, armed forces, or legal checkpoints. From a security standpoint, this would create an unmonitored conduit for drugs, weapons, and other contraband, significantly worsening Manipur’s fragile law-and-order situation.