A video is viral on social media which shows two persons releasing drones into the sky, followed by aerial footage of bombs being dropped on several houses. It is being claimed that these two men are terrorists from the Kuki community and they are using drones to bomb Meitei villages in the violence-torn Manipur.
Ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities first broke out in Manipur in the first week of May. The violence has so far resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives, besides displacing thousands of people from their homes and villages. The tension between these two communities shows no sign of stopping, as fresh cases of conflict keep coming up even after months of unabated violence.
A Twitter user posted the viral clip on July 27, claiming that Kuki terrorists were causing widespread destruction to Meitei villages by dropping petrol bombs with the help of drones. (Archive)
The Innocent Kuki brothers, driven by a deep-rooted animosity, devised a plan to inflict harm upon the Meitei community. In their misguided attempt, they resorted to using a Petrol Bomb as a means to set fire to the Meitei Houses, causing widespread destruction and chaos. pic.twitter.com/VanV55HM4G
— Unbelina S (@unbelina_s) July 27, 2023
Some other users also tweeted with similar claims, demanding that the government take action against Kuki militants. (Archives- 1, 2)
Another tweet claims that the video features ‘Myanmar terrorists/migrants’ carrying out drone attacks on Indians. (Archive)
Wake up, India! ???? Take a look at this alarming video showing how Myanmar terrorist/migrants used drones to carry out attacks in our Indian territory, resulting in the loss of many Indian lives. Let’s stay vigilant and address this serious concern. #WakeupIndia #SecurityMatters pic.twitter.com/dgcm7ZoTJJ
— pritam gurumayum (@pritamgurumayum) July 27, 2023
Fact Check
On running a reverse image search on one of the keyframes from the viral video, we came across the same video in a Telegram group. On translating the text that came attached with the post, credited to Mandalay Free Press (MFP), Alt News found it to be in relation to a military conflict in the district of Sagaing, in Myanmar.
The video, from May 31, shows the Ayadaw Bone Naing – PDF, a paramilitary force from Myanmar, controlling the drones to orchestrate an attack on a military group that had invaded several villages in the district. The Sagaing district in particular has witnessed surges of unrest throughout this year, as liberationist forces like the People’s Defence Forces (PDF) tried to put an end to the raids conducted by the Military Junta, which has been in power in Myanmar since 2021.
We searched for Mandalay Free Press on YouTube, and came across this channel, which is described as a ‘free and independent press, specializing in news from the Mandalay and Sagaing regions.’
On June 2, they had uploaded the same video, which is now viral with the claim that these are trained Kuki militants dropping bombs on Meitei villages. In the description section of the video, it is written that this drone attack was conducted by the liberationist group against the military for nearly half an hour, starting at 8 PM.
The same video was posted on their Facebook page as well.
To sum up, the viral video is from Myanmar, and does not show Kuki terrorists carrying out drone attacks on Meitei villages.
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