The woman said she has moved for immediate action (Representational)
Imphal/New Delhi:
A woman in Manipur had a big shock when on Saturday morning one of her cousins sent her a link on X, formerly known as Twitter, which had a photo of her on her wedding day.
It was the photo caption that caught her attention, apart from the bizarre post by a stranger that she said was a clear case of online harassment and intimidation.
The post, first made by a handle that identified as Gin Haokip, alleged the decorative items in her wedding were “stolen” from a store in the Games Villages on the outskirts of the state capital Imphal, and used in a “Meitei wedding”.
The post came amid tensions between the hill-majority Kuki tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis, who had been involved in deadly clashes since May that killed over 180 and internally displaced thousands. The Games Village had also seen clashes.
Pinky Luwang, the woman in the wedding photo, told NDTV on phone from Imphal the “extremely insensitive” post violated her privacy, apart from trying to create ethnic tensions by calling a community names. She said she has contacted the cyber crime police.
“The photo is over two years old. I got married in February 2021 and the online abuser is referring to something that may have happened amid the violence after May this year. I have asked him on X to remove the post. I have contacted the police,” Ms Luwang said.
“A wedding is a deeply personal thing. Using a woman’s wedding photo as a weapon to attack a community is criminal. I will ensure this reaches a logical end,” Ms Luwang said.
While Gin Haokip, the handle that made the post has deactivated the account, another handle identified as Jamang Kuki and some others circulated the photo on X, with captions that Ms Luwang said was derogatory to her and her community.
“I got married in February 2021, long before the decor got stolen. I respectfully urge that you disassociate the theft with my wedding; that you delete my picture and apologise immediately…” Ms Luwang replied to Jamang Kuki.
.@jamang_k I got married in Feb 2021, long before the decor got stolen. I respectfully urge that you disassociate the theft with my wedding; that you delete my picture and apologize immediately, failing which a defamation case will be filed at the appropriate court. #KukiLieshttps://t.co/vrumB5vhUM
— Pinky Luwang (@PinkyLuwang) November 18, 2023
She has mentioned both the handles and some others to the cyber crime cell.
A cyber cell police officer said they have received a complaint and seen the posts, and they will investigate the matter.
