Thread by @ChitraAhanthem

To begin with, this fact finding of media's reportage does NOT analyse media reporting at all. What it does however, is more problematic/disturbing/unwarranted
Long thread alert #Manipur #EditorsGuildofIndia

https://twitter.com/ChitraAhanthem/status/1699258742565634233

The report says EGI 'received several representations that the media in Manipur was playing a partisan role' and from here on, puts the Manipur media in the dock while absolving national media, many of whom played judge and jury 1/2

Interestingly the report mentions a specific complaint 4rm the Indian Army's 3rd Corps HQs citing specific examples of Manipur media playing a 'major role in arousing passion and not letting sustainable peace to come in'. None of these reports are produced, much less analyzed 2/3

Page 2 of the report: Its terms of reference were to examine the reportage of the violence by the media, to examine whether media was indeed 'biased and divisive' as alleged by several stakeholders, to understand and document the way media's coverage deepened the fissures. 3/4

'It was not the mandate of the EGI team to examine the causes of the ethnic clashes in Manipur. However, it would be difficult to understand the media's behaviour without understanding the overall social and political context within which the ethnic violence took place 4/5

Here on, the report changes tone. Certain opinions are presented as facts. Sample: 'Much before the violence erupted on May 3, Manipur's tribal tensions were already reaching boiling point' adding the Govt's seemingly partisan statements and policy measures 5/6

Says that the Biren Singh Govt declared parts of hills as 'reserved' and 'protected' 'without following proper procedure as laid down in the Hills Area Committee Act of 1972. Fact? No such Act by this particular name exists 6/7

@IndEditorsGuild report: 'The demolition drive which began in Kangpokpi disrict, a Kuki dominated area extended by Feb 2023 to Churachandpur and Tengnoupal districts which also had a preponderance of the Kuki-Zo community' thereby making one community being the sole target 7/8

@IndEditorsGuild Fact: From October 2015 to April 2023, houses evicted from “reserved forest” and “protected forest” show there were 59 Kuki houses, 143 Meitei houses, 137 Meitei Pangal (Muslim) houses, 38 Naga houses, and 36 Nepali houses, totalling 413 houses @IndEditorsGuild

@IndEditorsGuild EGI report: 'On March 24, the State Govt removed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act selectively, only from the Imphal valley.' Further, 'In retrospect, this was seen as a partisan move in preparation for violence against the Kukis, which came a few weeks later'. 9/10

Dear @IndEditorsGuild surely, you would be aware of how #AFSPA is extended? By the Centre. Read this. 10/11
hindustantimes.com/india-news/cen…

P4 of the EGI report is notable for two major omissions. It says 'poppy growing is licensed in the country' but edits out that this is ONLY in tracts notified by the Govt.
11/12

The second one? 'The night of May 3 saw the almost total destruction of Kuki Zo churches, houses and other property in the Meitei dominated areas.' Fact? It was meiteis who are the minority community in both CCpur and Moreh who were targeted on May 3rd. 12/13

Less we forget, the @IndEditorsGuild went to look for biased media coverage, right? This is how the Manipur media reported: without naming communities, without ascribing who was at fault: e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=30.…

This after there has been a demand for a separate administration, separate Chief Secretary, an airport and 500 crores apart from various other demands? @IndEditorsGuild 14/15

@IndEditorsGuild What is the basis of this generic statement that former militant groups like UNLF, PrePak and PLA insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons led frenzied Meitei mobs in Imphal apart from the 'people in the Hills said'? 15/16

@IndEditorsGuild Said video was being flagged by one community and the report makes it look like the geo location and date has been verified to ensure it isn't a fake narrative. Does the @IndEditorsGuild have high forensic skills to ascertain whether the claim made is absolutely true? 16/17

@IndEditorsGuild 'The hatred is kept alive by activists from the two communities, most of all, by Meitei women who seem to have taken to the frontline as defenders of their community.' This is where @IndEditorsGuild has played judge and jury by picking sides 17/18

@IndEditorsGuild Meira Paibis came to the notice of the world in 1977?! #AFSPA was imposed in the state in 1980 and the same year end, Meira Paibis emerged on the scene. Can someone verify if the 3 member team actually wrote this report or outsourced it to ... (Fill in the blanks) 18/19