Manipur Viral Video: Manipur police search for origin of fake lynching video | Imphal News – Times of India

GUWAHATI: Manipur police have launched a hunt for the owner of an IP address who uploaded video footage from Myanmar, falsely attributing it to an incident of a woman being assaulted in Manipur. This misinformation emerged amidst ongoing violence in Manipur, fuelled by creators of fake news who even targeted the Army.

The video in question was posted in June and contributed to the escalating mayhem in the state.

Police recently confirmed that the crime shown in the viral video — a mob of armed men assaulting and killing a woman — actually happened in Myanmar, not in Manipur. The cops registered an FIR on Monday.

‘Videos are being circulated to cast aspersions on Army’
“Attempt is made to identify and arrest the accused persons for spreading false news with intent to disturb public tranquillity, incite riot and create serious breach of law and order in the state,” police said in a statement.
In the past three months, numerous fake videos, images and rumours have flooded social media, exacerbating the crisis on the ground and leading to violence, including killings, rapes and destruction of thousands of homes.
Adding to the misinformation, a video emerged on Tuesday showing a man in uniform touching a woman inappropriately inside a shop in Imphal. A Twitter user falsely claimed the man to be an Army personnel. However, the military clarified that the person in the video did not belong to the Army. Instead, he was a BSF head constable who had been suspended pending an inquiry.

The Army tweeted: “Few videos with baseless attribution/narrative/transcription aimed at casting aspersions on #IndianArmy are being circulated by inimical elements on social media…”
The state government had issued an early warning on May 30, cautioning against people spreading false information and stating that they would be subject to prosecution under the country’s laws. However, an official said there is no clear indication of how these falsehoods are spreading from the state.
Despite the government’s warnings and the internet ban, the fake news mill continues to churn out misinformation with alarming frequency. An FIR was filed on Sunday against people who collaged the picture of state BJP vice-president Chidananda Singh and his son with a screenshot from the clip of two women being paraded naked. The photo accompanied a malicious caption that the duo was directly involved in the crime.