Republic airs Manpad launching video from Myanmar as ‘exclusive’ & ‘authenticated’ visuals from Manipur

A video is going viral on social media in which a boy is seen firing from a man-portable air defense system or MANPADS. This video is being shared with multiple claims. Some users claim that insurgents in Manipur shot down an Indian combat helicopter. Some others argue that Kukizo insurgents in Moirang, Manipur, carried out a rocket bomb attack targeting civilians.

Republic TV aired this video calling it exclusive footage of Manipur insurgents firing missiles at a Manipur village using a missile launcher. Republic TV aired it as an ‘exclusive’ and ‘authenticated’ video of Manipur insurgents attributing Manipur Police.

#ThisIsExclusive | Second rocket fired in Manipur leaving one dead

Tune in to watch all live updates here – https://t.co/V6qaiDoNPI#Manipur #ManipurNews #Imphal pic.twitter.com/gKLzKP0a8i

— Republic (@republic) September 6, 2024

Manipur BJP Minority Morcha president Asker Ali MK shared the video claiming that Kukizo militants were using rocket bombs to target civilians.

Fact Check

We did a reverse image search of the frames of the viral video and found that the video was uploaded on YouTube on September 5. The caption states that the video is from Myanmar where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) shot down a Myanmar junta helicopter with a MANPAD.

We found that the video was also tweeted on September 6 by a user named Clash Report. It mentioned that the footage showed the KIA shooting down a Myanmar military junta helicopter. The tweet states that this is possibly an earlier incident but the footage has been released on that day.

Heli down: Footage shows Kachin Independence Army (KIA) shooting down Myanmar’s military junta helicopter with MANPADS

Likely an earlier event, but footage was released today. pic.twitter.com/lwwB2szBpD

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 6, 2024

The Manipur Police tweeted to clarify that the video was not from Manipur but from Myanmar.

#FAKE
The video is of Myanmar (https://t.co/uEC5ulp6H8 ),not of Manipur. https://t.co/fIfipRdi4v pic.twitter.com/gFSDPfZZqS

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) September 9, 2024

The fact-checking unit of the Government of India has also clarified that the claim shared along with the video is a piece of misinformation.

A video circulating on social media claims that an Indian fighter helicopter has been shot down in Manipur #PIBFactCheck

❌This claim is #Fake

▶️ This video is from Myanmar and not related to Manipur, India pic.twitter.com/G67r6j9GHE

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) September 9, 2024

To sum up, Republic TV aired a video from Myanmar and falsely claimed it to be from Manipur. The channel even attributed the false claim to Manipur police. Many social media users, including a BJP leader from Manipur, also amplified the falsehood.

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