A massive drive against illegal poppy cultivation led by the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) has for the first time exposed links between narcotics and terrorism in Arunachal Pradesh. Poppy cultivation was destroyed across 6,000 hectares during the operation, despite death threats from the insurgent outfits.
The anti-opium drive, in which the CBN was assisted by various security agencies and the state government, was carried out over the last two months in several districts like Lohit, Namsai, and Changlang.
Officials peg the cost of poppy plantations destroyed to be over Rs 500 crore. Those engaged in this process have received threats from insurgent groups like the NSCN (K-YA) and Ulfa (Independent) to return or risk their lives.
The threat deterred a number of workers from turning up, but Assam Rifles ensured the process was carried out smoothly by its deploying forces. However, due to bad weather and other factors, the officials could only achieve just about 60% of their target.
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