Drug Trade: Who are Manipur’s ‘Narco Terrorists’?

In the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, the label “narco-terrorists” has been employed in what seems to be a tacit attempt to justify brutal attacks on ordinary Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal people, who are solely blamed for the state’s drug problems. This label also seems designed to hinder empathy for the tribal victims, both within the state and potentially beyond. However, at least five facts about the drug trade in this northeastern state create a different narrative—a narrative that neither any of the ethnic communities nor the ruling political party leaders would be comfortable with.