Video of pleading women shared with false claim as ethnic violence rocks India's Manipur

Published on August 25, 2023 at 03:34
3 min read
By Devesh MISHRA, AFP India

A clip of women pleading with a uniformed man has been shared in posts that falsely say they are Hindu Meitei asking for protection from the mostly Christian Kuki community as deadly clashes broke out between the ethnic groups in India's remote northeast. An analysis of a longer video containing the clip found it actually shows Kuki women.

"Women from Manipur's 60% Meitei community (Hindu) are pleading the army soldiers not to leave them," reads the Hindi-language caption to the clip shared on Facebook here on August 6, 2023.

"You might understand how painful life Meitei Hindus are leading there (Manipur). Yet the eyes of some seculars haven't opened. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it is your responsibility that Hindus can feel safe in your rule," the caption continues.

At least 152 people have been killed since May in armed clashes in Manipur state in northeast India, where there is a history of ethnic conflict between largely Christian Kuki tribes and the majority Meitei, a predominantly Hindu community.

The state has fractured along ethnic lines, with rival militias setting up blockades to keep out members of the opposing community, AFP reported.

India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party -- of which Home Minister Shah is a high-ranking member -- is in power in Manipur.

Screenshot of the false post, taken on August 18, 2023

The clip has also been shared with a similar false claim here and here on Facebook, and on X formerly known as Twitter.

Kuki women

A reverse image search of keyframes on Google, along with keyword searches found the clip corresponds to the 18:09 to 19:27 mark of a longer video uploaded on YouTube on August 3, 2023 (archived link).

Its title says the video was filmed in Kangpokpi town on the same day.

An AFP reporter analysed the video and found it shows town residents pleading with members of the Assam Rifles -- a paramilitary force commanded by the Indian army -- not to leave for another place called Churachandpur.

A uniformed man appears to reassure them of their safety. In various parts of the video, he clearly indicates the people present are from the Kuki community.

At the 5:24 mark he shouts "ta chapa Kuki chapa" -- a slogan that is commonly uttered during Kuki community gatherings to signify pride.

He can also be heard from the video's 10:24 mark saying: "Because I am in Kangpokpi you think I am pro-Kuki, no I am not pro-Kuki, I am a pro-citizen of India. If Meiteis will be here I will become pro-Meiteis also."

Below is a screenshot comparison of the clip shared in one of the false posts (left) and its corresponding frame from the longer YouTube video (right):

A similar clip has also been posted on the YouTube channel of Indian news website Hindustan Times on August 4, 2023 which says the women are Kuki -- not Meitei (archived link).

A spokesperson for the Assam Rifles told AFP on August 14: "The women seen in the video belong to the Kuki tribal community. The video is from August 3 when the Assam Rifles unit was shifted from Kangpokpi."

Khaikhohauh Gangte, general secretary of KUKI INPI Manipur, a collective of Kuki Tribes separately told AFP the video shows women of the Kuki community.

He said they were pleading the Assam Rifles to stay in the town as the Kuki community do not trust state security forces.

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