'Centre, state govt part of drug mafia': Former Manipur cop's explosive charge

• Former Manipur police officer alleges Centre and state government complicity in a Rs 50,000-crore drug economy.

• Brinda claims weapons looted during the 2023 ethnic violence were actually supplied to civilians.

• Accuses Centre of enabling extortion through peace negotiations with armed groups.

Former Manipur Police officer Thounaojam Brinda has accused the governments of India and Manipur of actively participating in the state's drug trade, alleging that the narcotics economy is worth around Rs 50,000 crore annually and that official complicity is responsible for its proliferation.

"The government of India and government of Manipur are fully, fully participating in this whole drug mafia," Brinda said in an interview with That's Her Podcast, aired on 6 November.

She alleged that the continuing failure of the government's 'War on Drugs' campaign, the proliferation of narcotics and the absence of any visible improvement in addiction rates pointed to the involvement of those in power.

"We are producing drugs in our own state. We are producing opium, heroin from our own state. If the state is effectively present, how can it be?" she asked, alleging that the government's presence was felt only when it came to controlling and terrorising people.

Brinda, who served as additional superintendent of police in Manipur's Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) unit, earned recognition for her anti-drug operations, including the destruction of poppy plantations and the arrest of high-profile accused. She was awarded the chief minister's police medal for gallantry in 2018 but returned it in December 2020 after a special court acquitted seven accused in a major drug seizure case.

The case had brought her into direct confrontation with then chief minister N. Biren Singh. In a sworn affidavit before the Manipur High Court in July 2020, Brinda alleged that Singh and senior police officials had attempted to pressure her into dropping the case against Lhukhosei Zou, then chairman of the Chandel Autonomous District Council, who was arrested in a 2018 operation that yielded heroin, amphetamine tablets and cash worth several crores.

In the latest interview, Brinda also alleged that the weapons looted from police armouries during the ethnic violence in 2023 had actually been supplied to civilians by the governments to fuel the conflict.

Questioning the failure of security personnel to prevent the armoury raids, she asked what resistance had been put up by the police stations and battalions when the weapons were taken. "Weapons were not looted. They were given to the public to fuel the crisis," she alleged.

She further accused the Centre of enabling extortion by armed groups through its suspension of operations agreements and peace negotiations, claiming that these arrangements had allowed extortion activities to mushroom along highways in the Northeast.

Describing Manipur's drug trade as part of an international cartel, Brinda alleged that the network extended through Myanmar and Laos and claimed that China controlled the global narcotics economy.

She also questioned the credibility of state institutions, alleging that Manipur Police had become divided along ethnic lines and that people had lost faith in law enforcement agencies.

Brinda held the Centre primarily responsible for the continuing crisis in Manipur, including drug proliferation and militancy, arguing that a change of leadership without a change in government policy would not resolve the situation. "The sole responsibility for solving the problems of Manipur lies with the government of India," she said.

Brinda, who resigned from the police service following her confrontation with the previous state government, has since entered electoral politics. She joined the Congress in July and announced her intention to contest the 2027 Manipur Assembly elections from Yaiskul.