"insulted the Meitei's religious beliefs and promoted enmity"
A University of Birmingham professor has been charged with allegedly inciting people in Manipur via online messages and talk sessions.
The police complaint was filed in Manipur’s capital Imphal.
It was reported that the accused may also have links to the Khalistani movement in Canada.
The accused has been identified as Uday Reddy, a Computer Science professor at the University of Birmingham.
In the FIR, the complainant said: “The accused person deliberately with malicious intention, insulted the Meitei’s religious beliefs and promoted enmity between the Meiteis and other communities on religious grounds.”
The complainant reportedly told police that Reddy was hosting audio discussions on social media and directing people in Manipur on how to create trouble against law enforcement personnel in Manipur.
On X, a notice on Reddy’s profile shows his account has been “withheld in India in response to a legal demand”.
The FIR continued: “The unlawful activities of the accused person and his associates amount to anti-national activities that challenge the integrity and sovereignty of India and is fit to be dealt with under the relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
“As there is a high possibility of the accused being linked with Khalistanis in Canada… and with narco-terrorist groups… the call records of the accused, financial activities… may kindly be investigated.”
NDTV reported that the complainant requested the Indian authorities to contact the university and inform them about the “criminal acts committed by him against India”, adding a lookout circular (LOC) to monitor entry and exit points in India should be issued.
In May 2023, ethnic violence broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities.
The violence has seen hundreds of deaths and thousands displaced.
Over 1,000 houses have also been destroyed.
In December 2023, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also raised concerns over an overwhelming barrage of speech that distorts the truth with the advent of troll armies and organised disinformation campaigns across social media.
He said: “Traditionally, freedom of speech and expression was deemed to be an essential part of civil rights activism because of the fear that the government would prevent certain kinds of speech from entering the marketplace.
“With the advent of troll armies and organised disinformation campaigns across different social media platforms, the fear is that there is an overwhelming barrage of speech that distorts the truth.”
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