Video of armed men originated from Indian Manipur, not CHT: Rumor Scanner

Fact-checking body Rumor Scanner debunked a video clip claiming to be taken from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) showing some armed men in military uniform, saying the video was originated from Indian Manipur state, not CHT.  

The Rumor Scanner in an investigation found that recently, a video claiming to be taken from the CHT has gone viral on social media which showed some armed men dressed in military uniforms.

The fact-checking watchdog published a report on its website today saying the video in question is not from the CHT, rather it is a video related to the conflict between the Kuki and Meitei groups in the Indian state of Manipur.

A longer version of the video was found on a Facebook account named 'Thangjam Chingsangngakpa', a resident of Imphal, the capital of the Indian state of Manipur, at 7:46 pm on 17 December last year.

The same video was also posted by another Indian Facebook profile named 'Eshita Angom' about an hour and a half before the said post. 

The Meitei caption of the video, translated from the Meitei language, reads, 'If Kuki militants attack, we Meitei will be forced to take action.'

A review of Ishita Angom's Facebook profile shows that various posts are regularly made from there in favour of the Meitei community in Manipur.

Based on these data, it appears that this is a video related to the conflict between the Kuki and Meitei communities in the Indian state of Manipur.

Rumor Scanner said a 2023 report published on the website of the international human rights organization International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) states that the conflict between the Kuki and Meitei began on 3 May 2023. 

On that day, the All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) held marches in various districts of the state to protest the court's order to expedite the recommendation for the inclusion of the Meitei in the list of Scheduled Tribes. 

The clashes broke out soon after the march. The court's April 19 order asked the state government to respond to a 2013 letter by giving due importance to the petitioners' claims and giving its stance within four weeks. The verdict in this case, which had been pending for almost a decade, triggered the conflict.
 
A report published in the Bengali edition of Voice of America on 4 May 2023, also revealed the same information.

So, the viral video originated from the Indian state of Manipur claiming it a scene of armed groups in the CHT is false, the Rumor Scanner ended.