Manipur cops crack down on fake news

NEW DELHI: Grappling to restore normalcy and put an end to incidents of violence in the ethnic strife-torn state, the Manipur police have started filing cases against those circulating rumours and fake news on social media platforms, officers familiar with the development said

- Prawesh Lama

In their latest first information report (FIR) on Saturday, the Manipur police booked the spokesperson and leaders of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an umbrella group of Kuki organisations in Churachandpur, for allegedly circulating a fake news about arms and ammunition being brought into the state by the recently started goods train service.

The development comes in the backdrop of state chief secretary Vineet Joshi's letter to the chief minister N Biren Singh's office last week alleging that some civil society organisations (CSOs) and nongovernment organisations (NGOs) were releasing false and unverified information related to the ethnic clashes in Manipur. The letter, seen by HT, said such rumours and fake reports were "impeding the peace restoration process."