IMPHAL: The Manipur government on Tuesday launched a hotline to combat misinformation in the state where citizens of the state can report misinformation and seek confirmation of rumours, even as the state government extended the ban on internet services across the state for another five days.
Indian Army and Assam Rifles soldiers have also been deployed in Manipur to restore normalcy in the state (PRO, Nagaland)
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“We have introduced one phone number (9485280461) to have ‘Rumour Free Manipur’ so that anyone who knows about any rumor or incident suspected to be true or false should dial this number and report it,” the state security said. advisor and ex. CRPF chief Kuldeep Singh, who was appointed after the violence broke out, said:
Singh said the people manning these lines have been instructed to check the areas where the news is being reported and get back to the caller with the correct information.
The initiative comes even as sporadic incidents of violence were still reported on Monday, nearly two weeks after violence between the majority Meites and tribal Kukis tore through the state, killing 71 people, injuring 231 and burning more than 1700 houses.
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Later, an order issued by Commissioner H Gyan Prakash (Home) said the ban on internet services was extended till May 20 in view of reports and incidents of fighting between “volunteers/youths of key communities residing in the state” on police reports. setting fire to houses and other areas.
The order said all internet services, including mobile data and broadband, would be suspended across the state to stop the “spread of misinformation and fake news”. The Manipur government on May 3 suspended mobile data services in some districts of the state following communal violence. A day later, all internet services were shut down across the state.
Talking about the security situation in the state, the security adviser said that on the afternoon of May 15, about 20-30 suspected militants surrounded a picnic spot near Kanglatongbi under Sekma police station and vandalized the property. CRPF personnel are now camping in the area. Separately, suspected militants set fire to a truck near Point 34 in Kangpokpi district around 2 p.m.
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On the issue of blocking National Highway 2, Singh said that the state government has started using National Highway 37 as an alternative route for transportation of supplies.
“Two days ago, 20 cargo trucks, including 7 for Tamenglong district and 13 for valley districts, were escorted by Jiribam,” he said. “Yesterday, 21 good trucks, including oil trucks, were also transported, and today they reached the valley regions.”
About 74 good trucks are being escorted from Jiribam on NH 37 on Tuesday and they should reach here by late evening today. If not, they will arrive tomorrow morning, he said.
“1674 LPG cylinders were sent from Sekmai bottling plant to Churachandpur in 10 trucks of Assam Rifles, CRPF and BSF on Tuesday as drivers from here do not feel safe to go there. So we maintain all kinds of supplies both in the hills and the rest of the valley,” he said.
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