An FIR has been registered against an Indian-origin man who works as a professor at a University in the United Kingdom by the Manipur police in the state capital Imphal, as per reports. The man identified as Uday Reddy, who goes by the social media handle Kautilya3 on X, has been accused of inflammatory posts and statements on social media platforms.
Reddy’s X handle Kautilya3 is withheld in India. In the complaint against Reddy, it was stated that he may have links with Khalistani elements in Canada. He has been accused of editing Wikipedia articles with misleading information.
The complaint against Reddy was filed by a resident of Manipur based on which the FIR was registered. Reddy teaches Computer Science at the University of Birmingham. It has been alleged that Reddy has been working online to create tensions between Meitei and Kuki communities on religious grounds in Manipur. The FIR has been registered with a police station in Imphal East district under Sections 117 (abetment), 295-A (insulting religious sentiments), 153-A (promoting enmity between communities) and other relevant provisions of law.
Manipur Police (@manipur_police) has lodged an FIR against an Indian-origin professor #UdayReddy who teaches at UK's University of Birmingham for insulting and promoting enmity between Kuki and Meitei communities through his online activities. #ManipurViolence
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) July 1, 2024
Following the… pic.twitter.com/lrwYxzWYwS
The complaint read, “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.” Though Reddy has not officially given any statement on social media, he has thanked others for expressing solidarity with him.
The police said in a statement that Reddy often hosts spaces on social media platforms and allegedly directs people in Manipur on how to create unrest and trouble against law enforcement personnel. The complaint read, “The unlawful activities of the accused person and his associates amount to anti-national activities that challenge the integrity and sovereignty of India, and are fit to be dealt with under the relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.”
It further read, “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.” The complainant also requested the Indian authorities to contact the employers of Reddy and inform them about the “criminal acts committed by him against India”. He also requested to issue a lookout circular (LOC) to monitor entry and exit points in India.
Kuki student organisation comes in support of Reddy, demands withdrawal of FIR
On 1st July, the Kuki Students’ Organisation-Delhi & NCR condemned the FIR registered against Reddy and called it a “frivolous complaint”. Defending Reddy, they stated that his social media account posts offer unbiased perspectives and the authentic history of both the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur.
#Manipur#MeiteiLiesXposed#MeiteiLiarCommunity
— KSO Delhi & NCR (@KSODelhi) June 30, 2024
Condemnation of frivolous complaint against Professor Udday Reddy@Kautilya33 @ksobungpi @KSO_Lamka @KSO_Pune @KSO_Mumbai @KSOChennai @KSOBengaluru @KsoLeimataBlock pic.twitter.com/wDTW80HwN7
The statement read, “It is clear that Professor Reddy, an India-loving person of Indian origin with deep connections to India and its people, is being targeted for his commitment to truth and justice. The professor’s activism on social media has never been about vilifying the Meitei community. Rather, it has been about shedding light on the complex truths surrounding the Manipur violence.”
The organisation demanded immediate withdrawal of the complaint against Reddy.
Uday Reddy has been called out multiple times for his lack of understanding about Manipur and for spreading propaganda about Meitei community. For instance, in one of the discussions he was called out for his failure to accurately address Manipur’s history, specifically the Anglo-Kuki war. (OpIndia could not verify the authenticity of the audio)
Uday S. Reddy's limited understanding, evident in his failure to accurately address Manipur's history, particularly the non-existent #Anglo_Kuki_War, exposes his inadequacies. His lack of knowledge becomes glaring, especially in discussions involving #Kuki and #space #Kuki_Zo pic.twitter.com/stHtUQXSPQ
— Truth Manipur (@TruthManipurEma) October 26, 2023
He was also seen mocking Meitei victims on several instances.
He also showed his anti-Hindu bias multiple times. In April 2022, he accused Hindus of “weaponising” Ram Navami against Muslims. In a post on X, he wrote, “Hindutva nationalist organisations, spearheaded by RSS and BJP, have weaponised the festival to create Hindu–Muslim frictions, causing riots and deaths, in which the Muslims have been the major sufferers.”
In reality, it was Muslims who mercilessly attacked Hindus across India on Hindu festivals like Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti. OpIndia has extensively covered such attacks that can be checked here and here.
