Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, denied on Wednesday that Manipur was using Starlink devices. In an X social media post, Musk stated, “This is false. Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India.” 

The Spear Corps of the Indian Army conducted a raid in Keirao Khunou, Imphal East district, where they seized internet devices, along with arms and ammunition. The security forces shared pictures of the seized items on X (formerly Twitter). Social media users noticed that one of the devices had a Starlink logo, raising questions about the illegal use of Starlink devices in Manipur, as Starlink is not licensed to operate in India.

“@Starlink is being used by terrorists. Hope, Elon @elonmusk looks into it and help control misuse of this technology,” said one of the users in a post on social media platform X. According to the state police, they seized "an internet satellite antenna, an internet satellite router, and approximately 20 meters of FTP cables" from the Manipur neighbourhood of Keirao Khunou. Indian police are looking into how the device, which resembles Musk's Starlink, got to the area affected by the conflict. 

Starlink, which provides satellite internet, doesn’t have a license to operate in India. Since May last year, ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur have caused over 250 deaths and left thousands homeless.