ANI posts misleading tweet linking Muslims to Manipur viral video, deletes later
New Delhi: ANI, South Asia's leading multimedia news agency, faced backlash after deleting a misleading tweet related to the Manipur viral video case, where two women were paraded naked. The now-deleted tweet wrongly suggested that Manipur police had created a Muslim angle to blame for the issue.
On July 21st, Manipur Police took to Twitter to share information about the arrest of four prime accused involved in the heinous crime of abduction and gangrape under Nongpok Sekmai Police Station in Thoubal District. In another tweet, they mentioned the arrest of one individual, identified as Md Ibungo alias Abdul Hilim, who is a cadre of the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) Pro, by Imphal East District Police.
However, ANI combined these two separate cases and tweeted, "Manipur Viral: 'One cadre of People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) Pro namely Md Ibungo alias Abdul Hilim (38) of Imphal East was arrested by Imphal East District Police. A total of three main accused of the heinous crime of abduction and gangrape under Nongpok Sekmai PS, Thoubal District have been arrested: Manipur Police."
The misleading tweet triggered reactions from BJP members and right-wing groups, who used it to create a false Muslim angle to blame for the incident. The tweet was also shared by several right-wing accounts and news sites, including NDTV, leading to the spread of misinformation.
Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, exposed the misinformation on his Twitter account and shared screenshots with factual evidence, questioning ANI's negligence in verifying the information. After facing criticism and realizing the error, ANI deleted the tweet and issued an apology on Twitter, expressing regret for the misinformation.
However, Zubair pointed out that the apology came after a considerable delay, and had ANI clarified their mistake immediately, the fake news wouldn't have gone viral. The incident highlights the importance of responsible reporting and fact-checking in the fast-paced world of social media and news dissemination.
Hello @smitaprakash, @ANI first tweeted this and later delete the tweet. Was it because this was an unrelated case?
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 20, 2023
According to @manipur_police, Four main accused were arrested by Thoubal District police. And the other person arrested by Imphal East district police was for… pic.twitter.com/0SeH6DXHbR
Note on Story retraction and APOLOGY: Yesterday evening, inadvertently a tweet was posted by ANI regarding arrests undertaken by the Manipur Police. This was based on an erroneous reading of tweets posted by the Manipur police as it was confused with an earlier tweet regarding…
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2023
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UP: Woman's body found stuffed in suitcase at home, family claims suicide
Shahjahanpur (UP), May 18 (PTI): Police found a woman's body stuffed inside a large suitcase at her residence here on Sunday after her family claimed that she had committed suicide, officials said.
The 32-year-old woman's husband claimed that she died by hanging herself with a scarf, and that he removed the body and placed it inside the suitcase fearing action by police, they said.
Other family members, including the couple's children, corroborated the husband's claims.
Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi told PTI that the body of Savita, wife of Ashok Kumar, was found inside a suitcase at her house in Tilhar town.
According to Dwivedi, the woman’s brother-in-law informed police that she had allegedly died by suicide.
However, when a police team reached the spot, they found her body concealed inside a suitcase.
Preliminary examination showed marks around her neck, they said, adding that the body had not yet decomposed, the SP said.
During questioning, Savita’s husband claimed that she committed suicide by hanging herself with her scarf. He also claimed fearing action against him, he removed the body and placed it inside the suitcase, police said.
Dwivedi added that this version of events was corroborated by the couple’s two children. However, the act of concealing the body in a suitcase raised suspicions, he said.
The body has been sent for post-mortem, and an investigation is underway. Legal action will be taken against anyone found guilty, the SP added.
