The Manipur government has asked its employees to leave social media groups that are "furthering separatist, anti-national, communal and divisive agenda" by 6 p.m. of August 12.
In an office memorandum on August 10, Special Secretary (Home) H. Gyan Prakash warned of appropriate disciplinary action against those found not abiding by the directive.
The memorandum was issued around the time the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur temporarily suspended its indefinite economic blockade on the national highways in the State.
Two NHs — one from Nagaland and the other from Assam — are the lifelines of the non-tribal Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley almost in the centre of Manipur. The highways meander through the hills inhabited by various Naga and Kuki-Zomi tribes to reach the valley.
The organisation had enforced the blockade demanding the tabling of Manipur (Hill Areas) Autonomous District Council (Amendment) Bill 2021 in the 60-member Assembly to ensure the hill areas get greater financial and administrative autonomy.
“It has been noticed that many formal and informal groups on social media platforms… are engaged in furthering separatist, anti-national, anti-state, anti-social, communal and divisive agendas which cause disturbance in existing peaceful social harmony and law and order situation of the state…," the office note said.
“The members of these groups, in order to spread and push their respective agenda, indulge in spreading false information, hate speeches/videos and also share information that is not to be in public domain,” it said.
The memorandum also cited information about many government officials, including senior officers, being members of these groups, "inadvertently or by choice, thereby participating directly or indirectly in the furtherance of such separatist, anti-national, anti-state, anti-social and divisive agenda by contributing, sharing and commenting on blogging and microblogging sites in a manner unbecoming of a government employee".
The memorandum further said participation in such groups may be construed as involvement in activities in contravention of service rules, for which the employees will be liable for disciplinary action.
