A recently-formed students’ anti-drug task force in Manipur on Wednesday organised a bike rally to engage the student community in its campaign against drug abuse and poppy cultivation and endorse the ongoing war on drugs launched by the BJP-led state government.

Drug abuse is an area of concern in Manipur, also a key cause of HIV infection among drug users. The N. Biren Singh-led state government had made its war on drugs, launched soon after it came to power in 2018, a key governance initiative.

The rally was taken out under the banner of the Students’ Anti-Drugs Task Force (SADTF), floated jointly on March 17, 2023, by the All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) and Manipuri Students’ Federation (MSF).

The bike rally from Imphal to Thoubal, a distance of 25km, saw the participation of around 500 bikes and 800 participants who raised slogans such as Save Manipur From Drugs; Let’s Stand Together Against Drugs & Poppy Plantation; Save Environment, Save Forest and Stand Against Drug Abuse.

The two student organisations also held a meeting at Thoubal, which was attended by representatives of civil society organisations and police personnel, among others.

Abhijeet Kabrabam, MSF publicity secretary, told The Telegraph that the objective of the rally taken out bythe task force of the two student bodies was to save the students and youth from drug abuse, to endorse the ongoing war on drugs initiated under the leadership of the chief minister and to seek the people’s cooperation in their fight against drugs abuse, adding students and youths were the worst affected by the drug menace.