There have been reports circulating that five Meitei Muslims (Pangal) were killed in Manipur during ethnic violence by Hindus.
Verified accounts on twitter, including @IAMCHindi tweeted “The five Meitei Muslim men who were massacred by Hindu terrorists were buried at Lilong Chingjao in Manipur’s Thoubal district on January 4. #Manipur_Violence #Manipur #Muslim” on Jan 8, 2024. The tweet has received an about more than 1k views on X.
जिन पांच मैतेई मुस्लिम पुरुषों का हिंदू आतंकियों द्वारा नरसंहार किया गया था, उन्हें 4 जनवरी को मणिपुर के थौबल जिले के लिलोंग चिंगजाओ में दफनाया गया. #Manipur_Violence #Manipur #Muslim pic.twitter.com/LoxVKHFcI2
— Indian American Muslim Council (हिंदी) (@IAMCHindi) January 8, 2024
What is the Actual Truth About this Incident? : Fact
According to reports, the “Revolutionary People’s Front,” a banned Naxalite terrorist organisation in Thoubal, is believed to have sent its militants to kill these individuals. The People’s Liberation Army of Manipur is a separatist organisation, and RPF is the political wing of the separatist group. In the Lilong Chingjao neighbourhood, about 25 militants had gone to a local trader’s home to demand and extort money. Ethnic conflicts had nothing to do with the incident. The militants opened fire on the crowd that had gathered at the man’s house and then left the area later.
We visited Hindustan times, which published an article on this incident on Jan 3, 2024 with the headline “Families of 4 killed in Manipur firing refuse to accept bodies”. It confirmed that this incident has nothing to do with ethnic clashes as per the police. To also get further information on People’s Liberation Army (PLA), we visited satp, which wrote that RPF is the political wing of the PLA.
The official account of Manipur Police (“@manipur_police“) tweeted “On 01.01.2024, 04 (four) persons were killed and 14(fourteen) persons were injured by unknown armed miscreants at Lilong Chingjao, Thoubal District. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the case and arrest the accused involved in the case.” on Jan 2, 2024.
On 01.01.2024, 04 (four) persons were killed and 14(fourteen) persons were injured by unknown armed miscreants at Lilong Chingjao, Thoubal District. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the case and arrest the accused involved in the case.
— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) January 2, 2024
D-Intent’s Fact-Checking Results:
1514
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) January 8, 2024
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: News has been shared claiming that , 5 Meitei Muslims (Pangal) were killed by Hindus in Manipur in the ethnic violence. As per report fact is that these people were killed by militants belonging to the banned Naxalite terrorist organization, (1/3) pic.twitter.com/IYhFocsigQ
Intent:
Anti-India Propagandists are circulating news with false claims based on religion to fuel the violence in the Indian state of Manipur. News has been shared claiming that , 5 Meitei Muslims (Pangal) were killed by Hindus in Manipur in the ethnic violence. But, after proper research, analysis and fact-checking, we have discovered that these individuals were murdered by members of the “Revolutionary People’s Front,” a banned Naxalite terrorist group located in Thoubal. The People’s Liberation Army of Manipur, a separatist organisation, has the RPF as its political wing. In the Lilong Chingjao area, a local trader’s home was visited by about twenty-five militants who demanded money. Ethnic conflicts were unrelated to the incident. At the man’s house, a crowd gathered, and the militants opened fire on them before escaping the area.
Conclusion:
Claim : According to reports, five Meitei Muslims (Pangals) were killed by Hindus in Manipur during ethnic violence.
Fact : These individuals were killed by militants from the banned Naxalite terrorist organisation “Revolutionary People’s Front” in Thoubal. The RPF is the political wing of Manipur’s separatist People’s Liberation Army. Around 25 militants had gone to a local trader’s house in the Lilong Chingjao area to extort money.The incident was not related to ethnic conflicts. When a crowd gathered at the man’s house, the militants opened fire and fled the scene.
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