JAN 26, 2026 (IMP): Farmhouses and structures allegedly linked to illegal poppy cultivation were set ablaze in the Waphong area under Songnung, Sadar Hills, in Kangpokpi district on Monday afternoon, and the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) has claimed responsibility for the action in a press communiqué circulated widely.
Reacting swiftly to the incident, a Manipur Congress leader (from the Saitu area) posted that “the failure of the BJP Govt. to stop the ethnic violence since 3rd May, 2023, has furthered the consequences — a sinister design of the current dispensation.” He also wrote, “the tribal Kuki village, K. Songlung, under Kangpokpi District has been turned into ashes by ZUF (K) & NSCN-IM.”
According to a ZUF statement, the enforcement action was carried out around 12:15 pm, during which farmhouses, cultivated fields, and materials described as being used for poppy cultivation and “unauthorised structures” were burnt and dismantled.
ZUF stated that the move was part of what it called an intensified campaign against illegal poppy cultivation, narcotics trafficking, and alleged encroachment by “illegal immigrants” within what it described as the ancestral and customary land of the Zeliangrong Inpui Naga people. The group claimed that prior public warnings had been issued and time given for those involved to comply peacefully.
In the communiqué, ZUF alleged that certain individuals had ignored these warnings and continued activities that, in its view, pose threats to public safety, indigenous land rights, and the region’s future. It asserted that it would not allow “foreign or illegal settlers” to occupy or exploit ancestral land and reiterated its stance to remove unauthorised settlements and eradicate poppy cultivation and narcotics networks from the area.
