UK professor involved in feeding misleading info online
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 02 2024:
Uday Reddy, an Indian-origin professor at the University of Birmingham in England, who is facing charges of inciting ethnic violence in Manipur through his online activities, is found to be involved in feeding misleading information on different online platforms.
A police complaint was recently filed in Imphal claiming that Reddy's social media messages and talks have fuelled tensions in the violence-hit state.
The FIR, filed by a local resident, accuses Reddy of using his X handle "Kautilya33" to slander the Meetei community and spread misleading information about the ongoing crisis.
It is alleged that Reddy's posts support the Kuki groups and aggravating the situation in Manipur.
He is often found sharing misleading information on the violence and participating in online talks on X platform advising Kuki propaganda teams on ways to build narratives.
Furthermore, he indulges in similar activities on Wikipedia as a high-ranking editor/contributor, where he operates under the same pseudonym.
He has been using his position to write biased content about the Manipur violence by manipulating media reports and portraying the conflict in a light that favours the Kuki narratives.
He keeps the Wikipedia page protected, which allows only extended confirmed users and administrators to edit it.
In his Wikipedia article, he misleads the readers with statements like "proposed Churachandpur-Khoupum protected forest", and "declaring the forest dwellers as encroachers", apart from citing vacation of three churches in government colony in April, 2023 as one of the antecedents of the violence.
He also writes in his article that on May 3, 2023, Meetei mobs attacked and vandalised (Kuki) houses in Kangvai village and found two bodies followed by burning of the "Anglo-Kuki War Memorial" gate as an apparent act of provocation.
He further calls the rally in Churachandpur peaceful hiding the facts that protestors burned several forest offices in the district prior to and during the rally.
He also writes that violence in Moreh started late night after violence reached Imphal valley, while the truth is violence in Moreh town began as early as 6 pm and in the valley, it erupted only around 8.30 pm.
His Wikipedia article shows evidences of hiding certain facts by not mentioning victims of one side and elaborating on the victims of the other side.
Interestingly, Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) came forward in defence of the professor.
KSO argued that the allegations against Prof Reddy are an attempt to silence his objective presentations of the history and realities of the Kuki and Meetei communities.
They emphasised that Reddy's efforts have been focused on educating Kuki youth about their heritage and rights.
In stark contrast, IPSA vice-president and COCOMI spokesperson Khuraijam Athouba strongly criticised Prof Reddy's actions, asserting that the conflict in Manipur was not a spontaneous outbreak but a premeditated act of communal violence orchestrated by a global network intent on maintaining unrest in the region.
He claimed that narco-terror funds have been channelled to hire experts and specialists to further the Separatist Movement, with individuals such as Reddy (@Kautiliyal2345) involved.
KSO has been notably defending individuals like Kautilya or Reddy from Birmingham, highlighting the suspected nexus.
There are calls for a thorough investigation, including scrutiny of those associated with Hyderabad University and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), to unveil the larger game plan behind the engineered violence in Manipur, he said in a post on X.Athouba further alleged that several within India, disguised as journalists, lawyers, and retired army personnel, might be collaborating with narco-terrorist groups from Myanmar operating in Manipur and neighbouring states.
He stressed the need for a comprehensive investigation to identify and interrogate key suspects, including members of KSO and Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), as well as their selected MLAs.
Swift and decisive action is deemed essential to deliver justice and restore peace and normalcy in Manipur.
The situation underscores a significant threat to regional stability and security, calling for immediate attention and coordinated efforts from both the general public and the international community.
The allegations against Uday Reddy have brought to light the complex web of factors contributing to the unrest, highlighting the need for vigilance and decisive action to restore normalcy in the region.
Comment
