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Indian Army sounds alert about fake videos on Manipur violence
Fifty-five columns of the Army and Assam Rifles had to be deployed to contain widespread rioting.
Indian Army on Thursday sounded alert about fake videos related to the security situation in Manipur, including a video of an attack on an Assam Rifles post, being circulated by “inimical elements for vested interests.” The Army urged citizens to rely only on content from official and verified sources as they scrambled to quell ethnic violence sweeping the northeastern state that saw mobs torch houses, shops and religious places, and even attack a sitting lawmaker in Imphal. (Also Read | Manipur clashes: Genesis of the decades-old Meitei-Kuki divide)
"Fake videos on the security situation in Manipur including a video of the attack on Assam Rifles post are being circulated by inimical elements for vested interests. Indian Army requests all to rely on content through official and verified sources only," tweeted SpearCorps.IndianArmy.
Clashes first broke out in on Wednesday in Churachandpur town after tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a proposed change to the state’s reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community. Violence quickly engulfed the state displacing thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods.
Governor Anusuiya Uikey issued strict orders to tackle the worsening security situation. A copy of the order signed by commissioner (home) T Ranjit Singh directed district magistrates, subdivisional magistrates, executive magistrates, special executive magistrates to “issue shoot at sight orders in extreme cases whereby all forms of persuasion, warning, reasonable force etc. had been exhausted under provisions of law...and the situation could not be controlled”.
The violence didn’t abate till late on Thursday evening even as thousands of army and paramilitary personnel marched through the deserted streets of the violence-hit towns to restore peace.
The Army said in an update that the security situation in Moreh and Kangpokpi was brought under control and efforts were underway to restore normalcy in Imphal and Churachandpur. It informed that the precautionary build-up of additional troops in Manipur will continue, with additional columns also re-deployed from Nagaland.
In addition, the Indian Air Force will be undertaking flying operations to induct additional Indian Army columns commencing tonight from Assam, it added.
