Elon Musk Sets the Record Straight: Starlink Beams Are Off in India Not Used in Manipur
In response to allegations that the device was being used in the dangerous militant plan northeastern Indian state of Manipur, SpaceX founder Elon Musk stated on Tuesday that “Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India.”
This comes after a joint security force raid in which sophisticated firearms and a Starlink satellite antenna and router were confiscated. SpaceX created the satellite-based internet service “Starlink” with the goal of connecting underdeveloped communities around the globe although it is now prohibited in India.
A police statement released on December 13 claims that during security force’s raids in the Keirao Khunou neighborhood of Imphal East, armed criminals left the Starlink antenna and router behind.
“The authorities reported the seizure of one satellite antenna, one internet satellite router, 20 metres of FTP cable, one MA4 assault rifle, one 12-bore single-barrel gun, one 9mm pistol, five hand grenades, and ammunition. These items were recovered from Keirao Khunou, a Meitei-dominated area in Imphal East district,” the statement said.
The Revolutionary People’s Front/People’s Liberation Army (RPF/PLA), a prohibited underground organization was purportedly inscribed on the router. Police in Manipur have filed a case and begun looking into the situation.
Meanwhile, Musk wrote “This is false,” on X (previously Twitter). He stated that the beams from Starlink satellites are turned off all over India.
This is false. Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2024
Violence has been intermittent in Manipur since May 3rd, 2023, when ethnic confrontations began. The violence started when the Meitei community’s quest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) designation sparked a “Tribal Solidarity March” across the hill areas.
More than a year after it was lifted, the Union government reinstated the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA, this month in territories governed by six police stations spread over five districts of Manipur. Fresh attacks on people and rising gunfights between forces and militants in the northeastern state coincide with the reimposition of AFSPA.
Despite the existence of buffer zones guarded by security forces, the violence has almost divided Manipur into two ethnic enclaves, the Kuki-majority hills and the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley.
