Manhunt for missing VDF man :: Search, investigation on: Biren
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 03 2023: Chief Minister N Biren today stated in the State Assembly that the Government has been searching extensively for the VDF personnel who went missing during a poppy destruction drive.

Responding to a call attention motion raised by MLA Okram Surjakumar, the Chief Minister has been examining whether there is a hand of drug kingpins in the missing case and whether it was aimed at demoralising Government agencies involved in poppy destruction drives.

Surjakumar said that it has been 13 days since VDF personnel Ningombam Premananda went missing.

Family members of Premananda are now quite worried and many people of his locality are now asserting that Premananda could have been found if the Government searched for him on a war-footing on the day he went missing, Surjakumar said.

Manhunt for missing VDF man :: Search, investigation on: Biren

There are suspicions that the VDF personnel was abducted to demoralise all the agencies involved in destruction of poppy plantations or he was captured by either Myanmar military or insurgents as he crossed into Myanmar by mistake, said the Congress MLA.

The Chief Minister earlier claimed that the poppy cultivation area had come down from 7000 acres in the previous year to 1100 acres this year.

Again, the Chief Minister came out with a statement that 200 acres of poppy plantations have been destroyed this year.

These contradictory statements have created confusion among the people, Surjakumar said.

He then asked who are the drug kingpins, what is the action plan of War on Drugs 2.0 and under which system poppy cultivated areas are identified.

He further asked if the Government intelligence agencies have initiated any investigation to identify the drug kingpins and those people who are investing huge amounts in poppy plantations.

Responding to the call attention motion, Chief Minister N Biren said that three teams went on a poppy destruction drive to some areas under the jurisdiction of Chandel police on January 19 .

The teams including VDF personnel Ningombam Premananda (37) s/o N Dina of Okram Mamang Leikai, Thoubal put up the night at the Assam Rifles camp known as Uran Top.

The three teams went separately in search of poppy cultivated areas during the night.

It was only on the night of January 20 that it was known that Premananda was missing.

Starting from the morning of January 21, a massive search was launched with the help of additional forces and the search operation continued till a couple of days back, Biren said.

The Government has been studying from different perspectives how the VDF man went missing, he continued.

There are NIA and NCB officials who have communication links with the Myanmar authority, he said.

"The War on Drugs is not an easy task.

One Hengouthem even threatened to kill me through social media.

It would be wrong to take the issue lightly" the Chief Minister said.

Taking all these precedents into consideration, due process was initiated on January 21 for an enquiry regarding the missing VDF man.

The Government has also been communicating with NIA and NCB on the matter, Biren said.

He said that drones as well as satellite maps are being used to identify poppy cultivated areas.

He told the House that the Government would bring out a white paper on the exact figures of poppy plantations destroyed so far.

"Many of the kingpins are here around us while the major kingpins are based in Myanmar and China", the Chief Minister said.

Saying that the issue of drugs is now a public issue and the campaign against drug menace is now a public movement, the Chief Minister called upon one and all to join the War on Drugs, irrespective of whether one belongs to the Opposition group or the ruling bench.

All suggestions to eradicate drug menace from the State would be welcomed heartily, he continued.

The Myanmar military delegates who came to Imphal for border talks with Assam Rifles a few days back were asked to take care of the missing VDF personnel in case they come across him, Biren added.

Later, the Speaker adjourned the session till 11 am of February 21 .