Rejecting the claims that its satellite devices were used in the Manipur violence, on Wednesday, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said, "This is false. Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India."
The Indian security forces unit, Indian Army's Spear Corps on Tuesday had seized the Internet devices along with other arms and ammunition during a raid held at Keirao Khunou in Imphal East district.
The security forces also shared images of items confiscated, and to their surprise, the social media users pointed out that one of the devices had a Starlink logo. That again flared up a debate about illegal use of Starlink devices in Manipur and that Starlink has no license to operate in India.
Pointing towards it, an X user said, "@Starlink is being used by terrorists. Hope, Elon @elonmusk looks into it and help control misuse of this technology.
State police said they confiscated 'an internet satellite antenna, an internet satellite router, and about 20 meters of FTP cables' from the Keirao Khunou area of Manipur. The finding of the device, similar to Musk's Starlink, has made Indian authorities open up a probe into how such equipment ended up in the war-torn region.
Starlink is a satellite internet provider, and it does not have a license to operate in India. Ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur since May last year have resulted in more than 250 deaths and thousands of homeless people.
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