A graphic video purporting to depict a handcuffed Christian girl being brutally attacked and executed in Manipur, India, has been widely shared on social media. The footage incorrectly attributes the incident to uniformed personnel from the RSS and Indian army. However, upon investigation, it was revealed that the video originated from Myanmar and was published in December 2022.
The 25-year-old woman featured in the video was identified as Aye Mar Tun. She was reportedly interrogated and accused of belonging to the Pyu Saw Htee militia, an organization associated with the Myanmar military. This misinformation highlights the dangers of false attributions and the importance of verifying sources before sharing sensitive content.
Claim
A disturbing video depicting a handcuffed girl being violently attacked and killed by uniformed personnel in the middle of a road has surfaced on social media. The video is being shared with the false claim that it shows the brutal murder of a Christian girl in broad daylight in Manipur.
Several Congress functionaries, including Shahnawaz Mirza, along with other users, have posted the video, alleging that RSS workers and Indian army personnel were responsible for the cruel killing of a Christian girl belonging to the Kuki community on a street in Manipur.
This misinformation has sparked outrage and raised concerns about the spread of false narratives and the misuse of sensitive content on social media platforms.
Misleading Comments
A Twitter user named Fiza Khan shared the video with a text claiming “a Christian girl was killed under the fascist BJP government’s dictatorship.” Other users echoed this sentiment with comments stating, “Shocking Video of Brutal Attack and Killing of Kuki Christian Girl in Manipur.” These statements contributed to the spread of misinformation about the video’s origin and context.
Fact
The video originates from Myanmar and is unrelated to Manipur or any incidents involving Christian girls in India.
Verification
We used the Google Chrome InVID tool to analyze the video by breaking it into keyframes and conducting reverse image searches across various search engines. Our investigation yielded results linking the video to several Burmese news posts dated December 2022. These news sources reported on the incident and included screenshots from the video.
One notable report came from Eleven Myanmar, published on December 3, 2022. Titled ‘A young woman beaten, shot dead, and forced to make a confession that she was a “military informant” according to a video circulating on social media,’ the article detailed that the incident occurred in Myanmar. This information confirms that the video falsely attributed to Manipur and Christian girls in India actually originated from Myanmar and involved a different context altogether.
The video clip, which spans over 3 minutes, does not specify the exact location of the incident. However, those who shared the video claimed it occurred in Tamu and was carried out by the Tamu PDF (People Defense Forces) No. 4 Battalion. According to initial reports, the victim was identified as a Non-CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement) teacher. Her name and the precise location of the incident remain unknown. The woman in the video was reportedly handcuffed, subjected to physical assault, and coerced into confessing as an informant for the ruling military.
Building on this information, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords and uncovered subsequent news reports. These reports indicated that Myanmar’s publicly mandated National Unity Government (NUG) had pledged to investigate the murder of the woman on a street in Tamu, located in the Sagaing Region. The NUG also vowed to take action against those responsible for the crime.
According to reports from Myanmar, the woman in the video is identified as 25-year-old Aye Mar Tun. She was accused by junta forces of involvement in the murder of a PDF member. In the video, she is seen being interrogated and accused of being a member and informant for the Pyu Saw Htee militia, an organization associated with the Myanmar military.
Additionally, we traced the same video posted by Burmese accounts with Burmese captions as far back as December 2022.
Conclusion
Fake News Busters has discovered that an old video from Myanmar is being inaccurately circulated as depicting the execution of a Christian girl from the Kuki community by Indian Army and RSS workers in Manipur.
