Screengrabs from the video on Naga Mircha posted by MDoNER on its official Instagram and X accounts on November 23. The videos have been taken down after facing backlash for misrepresentation and usage of AI without basic fact checks.
Morung Express News
Kohima | November 24
The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) has been caught red-handed misrepresenting Naga culture in a video promoting the Naga Mircha, a prized chilli variety from Nagaland.
The video, made with AI-generated imagery, was uploaded on Instagram and X on November 23. It depicted Nagas as animated miniature characters, wearing tunics and pants resembling traditional-looking outfits like that of the Chinese or East Asians. They are also shown using chopsticks in one part of the video, while a different chilli variety has been shown throughout the video.
It was accompanied by the caption, “Naga Mircha, among the world’s hottest chillies, delivers sharp heat and fearless flavour. A GI-tagged fire earning its name as the Mirchi Volcano.”
The video sparked outrage online, with netizens calling it an “embarrassment”, and raising concerns about the ministry's understanding of the region's cultural heritage and its willingness to respect and promote it.
“For a ministry that was set up specifically for the Northeast region, this kind of misrepresentation is unacceptable. If MDoNER wants to promote the region through digital media, it must start by getting the fundamentals right, starting with representing the people accurately,” a user tweeted on X.
“The M and D in MDoNER stands for misrepresentation and distortion?”, another questioned.
“Unbelievable that DoNER has succeeded so well in misrepresenting Nagaland. The music, the images, the costumes are nowhere near Naga at all,” another user commented.
Interestingly, the Nagaland government's official accounts were also tagged in the videos on Instagram as a collaborator, and on X. ““How was this even approved?”, an Instagram user commented on the post which has since been deleted.
After facing heavy backlash, the video was suddenly taken down from all social media platforms on November 24.
With this move, the Ministry earned itself more criticism for its lack of apology or explanation.
“Deleting the video does not make it disappear...” an X user tweeted.
After the debacle, all eyes are on MDoNER, as to whether it will take accountability for the blunder, or choose to maintain silence.
