A video of an old and worn-out Meitei flag being replaced by a new one by student protesters in Manipur's Thoubal has surfaced with false claims that the Indian flag was replaced.
BOOM found that the video shows protesting students replacing an old Salai Taret flag or the Kangleipak flag with a new one.
The video shows two protesting students climbing a structure that resembles the entry gate of Deputy Commissioner of Thoubal district's office. The students can be seen making attempts to replace the existing flag with a seven-coloured flag, known as the Salai Taret. The Salai Taret flag or the flag of Kangleipak is a seven coloured flag, representing the seven sub-ethnic groups of Meiteis or Manipuris.
According to reports, students have been protesting in several districts of Manipur, demanding the resignation of N Biren Singh and the removal of central forces from the state. As many as 44 students were injured, among them 18 sustained injuries during demonstrations in Thoubal district. In a press release, Manipur Police stated that while the situation in the state remains tense with sporadic protests, it is still under control. Internet has since been shutdown in the state.
The video is circulating with the caption: Indian National Flag was take-off by meitei student suspected tobe a radical group Arambaitengol & replaced with their sovereign flags at Thoubal DC office.
The video is also circulating on Whataspp and Facebook with similar false claims.
Fact Check
BOOM was able to ascertain that the flag shown in the video was not the Indian national flag.
We came across a video which showed visuals of the protest from the same day (September 9) when the old flag was replaced. A student protester can be seen standing in front of the gate of the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Thoubal District and saying in Meitei, "Who agrees with the current position of the Sarai Talet flag? Who will agree? A new one will be replaced. Our Sarai Talet flag must be replaced." Students also agree to the replacement of the old Salai Taret flag. A closer look shows that the flag resembles a worn out Salai Taret flag and not the Indian tri-colour.
Below is a comparison of the same.
BOOM reached out to a student representative from the All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU) Moirang unit, who confirmed that the protesting students removed an old Salai Taret flag and not the Indian flag.
We then reached out to Rakesh Balwal, Superintendent of Police, Thoubal, who confirmed that an old torn flag of Salai Taret was replaced from the outer gate of the Deputy Commissioner's office. Balwal also said that both the Salai Taret flags have since been removed by Manipur Police. BOOM also has seen footage of the removal of the new flag by Manipur Police earlier this week.
A Subhash Singh, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Thoubal District, further told BOOM, "This is wrong information. No Indian tricolour flag was flown at the gate of DC Thoubal Office."
In an X post, Manipur Police also debunked the same.
