IMPHAL, Feb 28: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is facing mounting criticism after the acceptance speech of Manipuri filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi was reportedly removed from its official social media platforms, days after her film Boong made history at the BAFTA Awards.

On February 22, Boong became the first Indian film to win in the Best Children’s & Family Film category, marking a significant milestone for Indian regional cinema. The win was widely celebrated across the country, particularly in Manipur, where it was seen as a powerful recognition of Indigenous storytelling and creative resilience.

However, within days of the victory, Lakshmipriya Devi’s acceptance speech was allegedly taken down from BAFTA’s official accounts on X and Instagram, without any public clarification from the academy. The speech, delivered against the backdrop of Manipur’s prolonged ethnic unrest, had drawn attention for its emotional candour and references to the prevailing situation in the state.

The reported removal has sparked outrage among artists, activists and social media users, many of whom described the move as an act of “cultural erasure” and called for the immediate reinstatement of the video.

Reacting to the development, Binalakshmi Nepram — Founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and the Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice & Peace, Co-Vice President of the International Peace Bureau, and recipient of the Sean MacBride Peace Prize — questioned whether BAFTA had indeed removed the acceptance speech of an Indigenous woman filmmaker from its platforms.

She stated that if the speech had been taken down, it would amount to the “cultural erasure of Indigenous people’s and women’s voices” and urged the academy to restore it without delay. “Inclusion and not erasure of our voices and our stories is the way forward,” she asserted.

BAFTA had not issued any official statement clarifying the alleged removal of the speech.