The local police recently arrested seven accused of the Manipur sexual assault case for parading women naked. Against this backdrop, a viral picture claiming that the Hindu Meitei community in the state is protesting the arrest of these people is doing the rounds on social media.
A Facebook user posted the viral post with a caption: “Protest rally in Manipur by the majoritarian Hindu Meitei group against the arrest of those who had publicly paraded and sexually assaulted Kuki women. This is beyond disgusting.”
You can check the post here.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral post, and found it to be misleading.
The protesters’ banner in a visual reads: ‘MASS RALLY AGAINST CHIN-KUKI NARCO-TERRORISM’.
Running a Google Keyword Search, the NM team spotted a news report in Imphal Times, dated July 29, 2023, and titled: COCOMI’s rally strengthens stand against Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists; Warns MLAs and ministers of serious consequences if fails to take resolutions for protection of Manipur at state Assembly before August 5.
The image in the article matches with the viral picture, informing that it was a rally organised by the Co-ordinating Committee for Manipur’s Integrity (COCOMI) to reaffirm their stand against Chin-Kuki Narco-terrorists. Around two lakh people attended the rally and unanimously agreed to take stern actions against the Manipur legislators if they fail to convene a special session of the state assembly on or before August 5 to take a resolution for the protection of Manipur’s territorial integrity.
A similar report was also published on the website of North East Live TV as well.
Searching further, our team came across a YouTube video, titled: COCOMI’S MASS RALLY AGAINST KUKI NARCO TERRORISTS HELD, published the same day on the official channel of TOM TV — a Manipur-based satellite TV channel. We can clearly see the banner in the hands of the protesters as seen in the viral picture.
The video corroborates the claim that these people were protesting against Narco-terrorism in the state.
According to another article in Free Press Kashmir, some communities of Manipur did organise a protest rally condemning the arrest of the accused in the viral sexual harassment case. It further informs that in order to support the Meiteis in the state, the protesters went to the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Thoubal holding placards.
We could not find a single credible news source linking the viral image to this protest. Therefore, we can conclusively say that the viral picture, claiming to show the Hindu Meitei community in Manipur protesting the arrest of the accused in the sexual harassment case, is misleading.
If you want to fact-check any story, WhatsApp it now on +91 11 7127 9799
Error: Contact form not found.
Click here for Latest News updates and viral videos on our AI-powered smart news