IT News
Imphal, Sept 9:
The Pallel gunfight has stirred up a media storm with a plethora of narratives emerging, not least of which are the contradictory statements made by Kuki individuals on social media and the official stand of the Kuki Inpi, a prominent representative body of Kuki organizations.
Initial reports from many valley-based media outlets suggested the confrontation was between suspected Kuki militants and village volunteers. Contradicting this, the Manipur Police clarified on their Facebook page that the incident involved security forces and armed miscreants, not the suspected Kuki militants.
In the aftermath of the police clarification, a wave of Facebook users from the Kuki community began sharing collages of the diverging news narratives, throwing their weight behind the police’s version. This marked a notable shift in stance as many Kuki netizens, in recent months, had accused the Manipur Police of bias in favor of Meitei village volunteers during conflicts. The sudden applaud for the police’s clarification suggests a growing trust in the official statement.
However, a curveball came when Kuki Inpi released their version of events. Contrary to the community’s leaning on social media, Kuki Inpi labeled the gunfight as a terror attack on the Kuki village of Pallel by Meitei groups, aided by Manipur Police Commandos and the Arambai Tenggol. The press release reported the tragic death of a Kuki Village Volunteer and condemned the Chief Minister, N. Biren Singh, for alleged double-standard governance.
This discrepancy between the sentiments echoed by individual Kuki netizens and the official statement from Kuki Inpi raises questions. The dissonance suggests potential internal conflicts or differing viewpoints within the community about the incident. The community and its representative bodies will need to find common ground to navigate this complex situation.
