Imphal, February 8 (PTI): Meet Thounaojam Brinda, a former police officer well known for her campaign against drug lords of Manipur, who has now joined the political fray to continue her fight to make her state drug-free, corruption-free.
Four years back, Brinda made headlines for busting several drug cartels and being awarded a Police Medal for Gallantry.
Today she is creating ripples by announcing her decision to contest as a Janata Dal (United) candidate from Yaiskul constituency of Imphal East district in the assembly elections to be held in two phases On February 27 and March 3.
Brinda, who had resigned from her job as additional superintendent of police in 2021 after run-ins with the powers that be, told PTI that her foray into electoral politics was due to the urgent need to save the state and its youths from corruption and malpractices compounded by the wide-spread drug (abuse) and narco-terrorism.
Though she never thought of joining politics in earlier years of her career, huge public support not just from her constituency but from all over the state saw her deciding to plunge into electoral politics.
Brinda is a 2012 batch Manipur Police Service officer who is known for her derring-do as an upright officer who fought against drug mafias that straddle life in the state.
The former cop claimed that while in service she was consistently harassed by those who are in power thereby crippling her ability to deliver as a law enforcer.
She said besides upsetting powerful people with her crusade against drugs, she found that she was often isolated from the mainstream in the department and treated as an anti-national on account of my father-in-law being an insurgent leader".
Brinda is the daughter-in-law of RK Meghen, former chairman of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a separatist group in the state. Meghen who was sentenced to a long jail term was released in 2019 from a Guwahati prison for his many works including building a library and a music school inside the jail and now lives a normal life.
"Selective harassment was such that I was not even granted maternity leave. Their idea was to make me fed up with the treatment and ultimately leave the profession," she said.
Brinda came to the public limelight in connection with a high profile drug haul she led in busting in June 2018 leading to the arrest of then Chandel Autonomous District Council Chairman Lukhosei Zou and seven others.
She was then awarded by Chief Minister N Biren Singh with the police medal for her role in the seizure of the drugs and cash. However, when Zou and six others were acquitted by the Special Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court, she returned the award in protest in December 2020.
She said, "We need a plan of action to deal with the existing drug crisis in the state. Substituting poppy cultivation with just another crop is not so feasible as has been made out, because poppy is cultivated by the farmers at hill ranges which cannot be easily accessed."
The drug cartels and those cultivating poppies are well protected by militant groups, making it a big challenge to take them on, Brinda said, adding that "a whole new approach based on scientific studies is required .
She also stressed that strong political will is required to destroy the "thousands of acres of poppy cultivation" and strictly monitor the international drug trade.
I have formed a research team seeking a practical model, that would ultimately eradicate the widespread poppy cultivation in the hills of Manipur, Brinda said.
She blamed the rise in smuggling of narcotics and Manipur figuring in the global drug smuggling map on illegal immigrants from Myanmar who have come in through the porous international border with the South East Asian neighbour.
While advocating deportation of migrants from Myanmar who were staying in the state, she also sought a stronger system which could replace the inner line permit which currently controls movement of people from outside Manipur to the tribal state.
Brinda also made clear her opposition to the draconian AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) which she claimed was for subjugation and violation of human rights and sought its repeal.
AFSPA empowers the security forces to shoot and kill a person without prosecution, she said.
"The Centre is calling for emotional integration of the North East, but we have such black laws that isolate the people of Manipur and the region. These contradictory approaches, one of subjection and another of integration, cannot go hand in hand and will not bring any positive changes for the motherland" she said.
Brinda said she would have liked to join a strong regional party based in the state. However, in the absence of one, she decided to join JD(U) which she says has a clean image compared to other parties and gives much emphasis on regional issues and women.
Since I do not have the financial means to contest the election as an independent candidate and as the people of my constituency favours the JD(U) more than others for its clean image, I chose to join them and bring about a transformation, she said.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from news agency feeds and has not been edited by The Morung Express.
Source: PTI
