Some members of the Kangleipak Students’ Association on Saturday raided three shops in Thangal market here and seized a staggering quantity of smokeless tobacco. They made a bonfire of the banned items.
The government had in April banned the sale and consumption of the tobacco products in Manipur. Though some raids were conducted in the beginning, there has been a free sale of such products including all kinds of cigarettes.
The student activists said the burned tobacco products were worth ₹10 lakh. The raids started at 10 a.m. and lasted about an hour. No police came to intervene.
Publicity secretary of the KSA H. Babloo said, “There is strict instruction from the health officials not to spit on the roads as it will spread COVID-19. However, it is common sight to see people chewing tobacco products spit here and there.”
He said the government has not done enough to enforce the ban order on all tobacco products. This is the main reason behind the free sale of these products. The raids were carried out to draw the attention of the government to these lapses.
There is no report yet of police arresting the three traders.
