Officials say rumors and fake news fueling violence in Manipur

Imphal: The caste violence in Manipur that broke out on May 3 and left over 160 people dead was fueled largely by rumors and fake news, according to officials from various security agencies monitoring the situation in the restive northeastern state. The gruesome May 4 incident in Kangpokpi district, where two women were paraded naked and assaulted by several men, was one of a series of sexual assaults that followed a picture of a body wrapped in polythene being circulated in the Imphal Valley with the false claim that the victim was murdered by tribals in Churachandpur.

It was later learned that the picture was of a woman murdered in the national capital, but by that time the valley was on fire and what was seen the next day put humanity to shame, an official said, referring to the video of the Kangpokpi incident that had surfaced on social media last week and triggered massive outrage in the country.

The same day, barely 30 km away, two more women in their 20s were brutally raped and murdered.

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Officials said the chaos caused by the fake picture spread like wildfire and was one of the reasons the state government shut down the internet on May 3.

A section of parties and activists have opposed the ban on the Internet. Refusing to intervene, the Supreme Court on July 17 asked the Manipur government to take up its grievance before the High Court against the HC’s earlier order on limited restoration of internet in the state.

An analysis of various security agencies engaged in fighting the fires in Manipur since May 3 has concluded that “there is no control over fake or one-sided news being circulated even by local newspapers”.

Citing a recent example, he said a leading daily had claimed that armed tribals had planned to attack members of the majority community in Kwatha village of Chandel district.

Alarmed by the news report, the Manipur police swung into action, but found out that the news report was false.

The police issued a statement saying that there was no attempt to burn down any village as reported in some local dailies and again appealed that only verified information should be published in sensitive matters.

The police have dedicated a ‘rumour-free number’ 9233522822 to verify any information surfacing on social media or verbally and to prevent the spread of misinformation.

A few days ago, another video showing tribal youths marching in Churachandpur was circulated in the Valley with a subtitle that claimed the tribals would take away women and children from the majority community.

However, since the video was in Mizo language, which is the language most commonly spoken in the Kuki-Chin areas, some anti-social elements took advantage and put subtitles to stir up anger in the Imphal Valley, where Manipuri Meiteilon is generally spoken.

Officials said what was actually said in the video was a demand for a separate administration which ended with a tribal hymn.

Another fake news was being spread and circulated in Imphal valley that some tribals had set a religious place – Kongba Maru Lifemalen on fire.

The security agencies took some people from the majority community with them to show that no harm was done to the religious place. However, armed clashes broke out between the ethnic groups, in which two tribesmen were injured. After the news was denied, the matter calmed down.

Another video was circulated showing some of the dead men lying on the ground and said to be members of the majority community who were crushed to death by tribals. This video was also circulated after a shocking 26-second clip of the attack on the two tribal women surfaced on social media.

The fact, officials said, was that the dead were members of the majority community, who had attempted to burn down a tribal village in the hills and were killed in retaliation.

In the initial phase of the violence, a video of a young woman being brutally assaulted and finally shot dead was circulated with the claim that she was a tribal woman who had been victimized by the majority community.

It was immediately clarified that the video was of a woman killed in Myanmar’s Tamu city last year and was not related to the ethnic conflict in Manipur.

Earlier this month, a vehicle, which was part of the Manipur Inspector General of Police (CID), was torched following a fake rumor that some tribals were being taken out of the Imphal Valley. However, the police took strong action and arrested people in this connection.

The majority community protested in the national capital where they showed a woman from their community being targeted by tribals. However, the picture was of a woman from Arunachal Pradesh who was subjected to domestic abuse, officials said.

Officials believe that with rumor mongers working overtime, it will take a long time for internet to be fully restored in the state.

A senior official said, “There must be a semblance of sanity first. We are still a long way from that.”