Manipur’s police force has faced repeated scrutiny over alleged involvement of some officers in high-value narcotics smuggling through the Indo-Myanmar border.
BY PC Bureau
August 12, 2025 — In a fresh blow to the credibility of Manipur’s law enforcement, five personnel from the state’s elite commando unit — including the officer-in-charge of the Imphal East Commando Unit — have been suspended for their alleged role in a bribery scandal linked to drug trafficking.
The officers, identified as Inspector Ningthoujam Devdas Singh, Sub-Inspector B. Debson Singh, Constable Tarique Aziz, Head Constable Md. Rakib, and Jemadar Md. Amin Shah, are accused of detaining suspected drug peddlers along National Highway 102 — the Indo-Myanmar road — on August 5, and releasing them after allegedly accepting a ₹6 lakh bribe.
Separate suspension orders, issued by the Manipur Police Department under Rule 66 of the Assam Police Manual Part-III, cited “grave misconduct” and “conduct unbecoming of a police officer.” All five have been ordered to remain at their respective headquarters and are barred from leaving without prior permission.
Allegations of Bribery and Misconduct
Reports allege that Devdas Singh’s team intercepted a group of suspected traffickers carrying a significant quantity of narcotics. Instead of initiating formal charges under the NDPS Act, the officers allegedly negotiated their release for cash. Internally, the incident has been described as a “clear breach of trust” and “serious dereliction of duty.”
This is not the first controversy for some involved. Sub-Inspector B. Debson Singh has a notorious history, having been arrested in 2013 for transporting pseudoephedrine tablets worth over ₹3 crore to Moreh, a major border smuggling point. Public outrage at the time forced the revocation of his Chief Minister’s Gallantry Award.
A Long Shadow: Manipur Police and the Drug Trade
Manipur’s geographical location — sharing a 400-km unfenced border with Myanmar — places it on the edge of the Golden Triangle, one of the world’s largest narcotics production zones. While security forces have made large seizures in recent years, the state’s fight against drugs has repeatedly been undermined by police complicity.
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Notable cases include:
- 2013 – The arrest of Sub-Inspector B. Debson Singh for cross-border pseudoephedrine smuggling.
- 2018 – A former Manipur Police Service officer convicted for trafficking contraband tablets.
- 2020 – Multiple personnel from Moreh Police Station investigated for “escorting” drug consignments.
- Early 2025 – Four police officers arrested over 34 boxes of Ketamine injection bottles; all suspended and charged under the NDPS Act.
- January 2025 – A rifleman from the 1st Manipur Rifles caught with 10.2 kg of methamphetamine tablets in Kakching district.
These repeated breaches have eroded public trust, with some observers describing the nexus between law enforcement and the drug trade as “institutionalised.”
Meanwhile, In another jolt to Manipur’s police establishment, JC No. 843 Jem. Md Amin Khan of the CDO Unit, Thoubal District, has been suspended for “grave misconduct and dereliction of duty,” as per an order issued by 7th Battalion Manipur Rifles Commandant Sarda Laishram.
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The move, acting on a directive from the DGP, Manipur, dated August 10, 2025, requires Khan to remain stationed at the 7th MR headquarters in Khabeisoi during his suspension, with prior permission needed for any movement. He will draw subsistence allowance in accordance with service rules.
