The Indian Army released a statement on Thursday stating that all its ranks were race, caste, creed, and gender neutral.

The clarification came in light of alleged misinformation on social media, discrediting officers of a certain community for doing internal security tasks in violence-hit Manipur. “All ranks of the Indian Army are race, caste, creed and gender agnostic- fair to all and fear none. Officers and troops of the Indian Army are posted to all parts of the country as per the requirement of the organisation,” the statement said.

It added that a message posted on Twitter and Facebook circulated through messaging apps was giving out details of Army Officers of a particular community performing internal security duties in Manipur.

Refuting charges made on Facebook and Twitter concerning officers of a particular group executing internal security chores in Manipur, the release stated that the viral message on social media was undermining the fundamental foundation of trust and ethos of Army personnel.

“Compounded with casting aspersions on their loyalty and integrity towards the nation, the message is aimed at maligning the very foundation of faith & ethos of officers of the Indian Army,” the statement read.

The statement posted by the Army mentioned that the very officers being discredited “spent sleepless nights, gone without food and water, rescued thousands and provided refuge to people beyond religion, caste or creed in Manipur”.

“It must also be noted that the numbers depicted in the list represent a minute fraction of the total number of officers posted in all formations and units in Manipur currently,” the statement said.

It stated further that the Army’s tweet was an attempt to dispute the “heinous message that had been circulated on social media and that the institution had never allowed regional biases to interfere with its operations”.

“The post is an attempt to undermine an institution that is a microcosm of the nation and has never let regional biases interfere in its functioning and the Indian Army strongly refutes this hideous message,” it said.