Manipur's Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has raised concerns over reports revealing the existence of a secret underground tunnel along the Myanmar-India border, allegedly used for smuggling drugs into Indian territories. Reports also suggest that the tunnel can accommodate heavy vehicles.
Following the disclosure, the COCOMI urged the Government of India to declare a state of “Narco-Terrorist Emergency” in the Northeastern region and undertake aggressive and transparent actions to address the escalating narco-terrorism activities.
It threatened "serious consequences" if the government fails to act decisively, warning that "continued neglect" could turn Manipur into a flashpoint for regional instability with far-reaching implications.
The following demands were made by COCOMI:
- A transparent and time-bound security and resolution policy from both the Central and state governments to address the Manipur crisis comprehensively.
- A thorough investigation into the alleged complicity of influential individuals and entities in Manipur, Mizoram and Chin State in narco-terrorism activities.
- Immediate measures to dismantle the underground tunnel and other infrastructure supporting drug smuggling and illegal arms trafficking
- An official acknowledgment by the GOI and state of the geopolitical and narco-terrorism dimensions of the Manipur crisis, with concrete actions to counter these threats.
Highlighting threat to national security, the committee, in an official press release, said that the revelation also poses a grave threat to the already vulnerable Northeastern region and its indigenous population.
"The indigenous people of Manipur have long suspected the active involvement of external and internal forces in facilitating such activities. This (tunnel) cannot be dismissed as merely the work of ordinary drug smugglers. The scale and sophistication of the operation point to the involvement of powerful actors, including influential entities in Mizoram and Myanmar’s Chin State," the release read.
Expressing disappointment, the COCOMI stated that the "longstanding apathy displayed by successive Indian governments toward such serious threats has emboldened perpetrators and jeopardised the security of the region."Pointing that failure to destabilise Manipur will tarnish India's reputation on the global stage, the committee said, "The ongoing crisis in Manipur cannot be dismissed as a mere ethnic conflict as the Union Home Minster Amit Shah and his team member like Kiren Rijiju has stated in public forums. It is a complex issue intertwined with narco-terrorism and broader geopolitical dynamics."
.jpg)
Leave Comments