Old Myanmar video falsely shared as helicopter shot down in Manipur
In India’s Manipur state, at least 11 people have been killed since September 1 due to ongoing violence. Following more than a week of gunfights, drone, and rocket attacks, the state government has imposed a curfew in three districts and suspended internet services. Amidst this, a video has been circulating on Facebook in Bangladesh, claiming that “Freedom fighters in Manipur, a state in India’s Seven Sisters region, have shot down an Indian helicopter.” However, Dismislab’s verification reveals that the video is old and has no connection with the current violence in Manipur.
On September 9, two fake Facebook profiles, named after Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud and Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Nahid Islam, shared a reel showing a helicopter being shot down. The caption reads “Manipur separatists from the Seven Sisters have downed an Indian helicopter.” A user named Abdullah Bin Saiful posted the same claim as “>>Breaking News<<” in various Facebook groups (1, 2, 3). He shared a link to the video in a Telegram group named ‘Alor Pothe’ in the comments, reiterating the same claim. Similar posts were also made on various Facebook pages (1, 2, 3).
A fake account operated under the name and identity of Adviser Asif Mahmud posted the video, where a user commented, “Mashallah, my brothers are carrying on, Alhamdulillah.” Another user commented under a similar post from a fake account using the name and identity of Adviser Nahid Islam, “So much is happening within their own country, and they cannot provide full security to their citizens despite them talking about different issues of Bangladesh, is very funny.” Both fake accounts have over 10 thousand followers. However, no such videos or claims were found on the verified profiles of the advisers Asif and Nahid.
In a reverse image search, Dismislab found a clip of the original video on YouTube, where the headline reads, “Footage: Kachin Independence Army (KIA) shot down a Myanmar’s military helicopter.” The video description explains, “A video circulating on social media shows the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) shooting down a Myanmar military helicopter (possibly a Mil Mi-17) over Waingmaw, Shan. The group used a rare Chinese FN-6 (Feinu-6) man-portable air-defense system to destroy the helicopter, possibly obtained from the United Wa State Army (UWSA).”
Later, Dismislab directly contacted Myanmar-based fact-checking organization “The Red Flag” in search of a news report as a reliable source on the incident. The verified Facebook page of Myanmar-based news agency ‘Myanmar Now‘ in a Facebook post reported the video. The caption of the post, originally written in Burmese, revealed “The 43-second video shows a KIA soldier using a shoulder-launched anti-aircraft weapon to shoot down a military council helicopter, which is seen crashing after being hit. Sources close to the KIA confirmed that the video depicts an incident from January 3 of this year, in which a helicopter delivering supplies to a military base in Na Hpa Kaw region, under Phat Dau village tract, Waingmaw Township, was shot down. The helicopter, a Russian-made medium transport helicopter MI-17, was carrying several officers of the military council’s air force.”
Additionally, the Burmese news website ‘People’s Spring‘ published a report four days prior, confirming the same incident. This clearly indicates that the video is not related to the ongoing violence in Manipur, making the claim false. Indian fact-checking organization Factly also recently published a fact-check report on this matter.
In Manipur, thousands of students protested in Imphal on Monday, condemning the murders of Neijahoi Lhungdim and Limkholal Mate. At one point, the protesters clashed with the police. Students organized protest rallies in various parts, including Thoubal and Imphal, demanding the removal of central forces from Manipur and protection for the ethnic communities. This led to widespread unrest across the state.
