New Delhi: In an official response to The Wire‘s detailed coverage of the Manipur Tapes – audio recordings submitted to the Justice Lamba Commission of Inquiry as evidence of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s alleged complicity in the ethnic violence in the state – the Manipur government has called the recordings “doctored”.
In a press release issued on the night of August 19, several hours after The Wire’s three-part story was published, the Manipur government warned that “anybody without exception shall be prosecuted under relevant provisions of laws of the land, if found involved in spreading such unfounded and baseless contents through any media or posting and sharing of such contents, which will escalate law and order issues in the State and derail the efforts put so far toward bring normalcy and peace in the State.”
Prior to the publication of its stories on the Manipur Tapes, The Wire had sought a response from the chief minister to a detailed set of questions linked to statements that he is accused of making in a meeting at his official residence late last year. Though some excerpts of a recording claimed to be of Biren Singh appeared on social media last week, prompting a strong denial by the state government, a 48-minute recording of that 2023 meeting was handed over to the Commission recently by the person/s claiming on oath to have made it and attesting to its authenticity.
In the absence of any response to those questions, The Wire is publishing the state government’s press release in full. Appended below that are the questions sent to the Chief Minister’s Office.
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Imphal, the 19th August, 2024
1. It is to bring to the information of General Public that except for some very low scale sporadic incidents, the law-and-order situation in the State has improved in the last 3-4 months with relentless efforts of the State and Central Governments and there is no large-scale confrontation. In this regard, State Government appreciates the efforts put by Security Agencies including both Central and State Forces.
2. Unfortunately, the State Government had to issue Press Release dated 07-08- 2024 on the viral doctored audio clips meant to incite communal violence and derail various peace initiatives being started by both State and Central Governments at multiple levels, thereby claiming the doctored clips to be that of Hon’ble Chief Minister. Accordingly, one FIR No. 34(8) 2024 CCPS dated 07-08-2024 had been registered in Cyber Crime PS in this regard and investigation is going on (Copies of the Press Release and FIR enclosed).
3. Similarly, such contents have been found widely circulating through social media and news report of certain news Agency more particularly, ‘The WIRE’ vide URL:
(i)https://thewire.in/government/manipur-tapes-biren-singh-bombs-amit-shah-commission
(ii)https://thewire.in/government/manipur-tapes-biren-singh-bombs-amit-shah-commission
(iii)https://thewire.in/government/manipur-tapes-biren-singh-kuki-posts-conflict-credit
4. In this regard, it is clarified that incidents of shelling of rockets and bombs in fringe areas like Kangvai, areas bordering Bishnupur, Imphal East, Moreh, Jiribam, etc by miscreants have been reported from time to time and State.
Police and other Security Agencies had been taking up steps to book the culprits and to deter them. Many FIRs have been registered in this regard and investigations are going on through Agencies like NIA, etc. So far, Security Agencies have been able to control such incidents to great extent.5. State Government views such acts of spreading misinformation/ disinformation through such doctored clips as anti-national activities for the likelihood of inciting hatred and mistrust amongst communities thereby, trying deliberately to disturb peaceful co-existence of communities to escalate the current law and order issues in the State more particularly to derail the peace initiatives being started by both State and Central Governments.
6. Therefore, General public are hereby clarified and appealed for not relying on such unfounded contents circulating in social media and news reports and also to refrain from involvement in spreading such false and fabricated information through any media.
7. Further, anybody without exception shall be prosecuted under relevant provisions of laws of the land, if found involved in spreading such unfounded and baseless contents through any media or posting and sharing of such contents, which will escalate law and order issues in the State and derail the efforts put so far toward bring normalcy and peace in the State.
Enclosure:
GOVERNMENT OF MANIPUR
DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
PRESS RELEASE
Circulation of Doctored Audio Aimed at Derailing the Process of Peace
Imphal, August 7, 2024 (DIPR): It has come to notice of Government that an audio recording, falsely claiming to be that of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Manipur is being circulated on social media platforms. This doctored audio is a malicious attempt by certain sections to incite communal violence or to derail the process of peace that has been initiated at multiple levels.
Our social media analysis indicates that a coordinated and targeted campaign is underway, with numerous X (formerly Twitter) accounts sharing the audio with similar captions. Enclosed is a screenshot that provides a snapshot of this orchestrated effort.
The Manipur Police is actively investigating the matter and is committed to uncovering the origins of this defamatory campaign. Legal action will be taken against all individuals and organisations involved in this conspiracy.
We urge the public to remain vigilant and refrain from sharing unverified information.
The restoration of peace and harmony amongst our communities is of utmost importance at this juncture more than ever. State Government will not tolerate any action that threaten to disrupt the peace process.
Enclosure: Screenshot of the coordinated campaign
RH/PHS/APO(P) No. 08 07-08-2024
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The full list of questions sent by The Wire to the CMO which have gone unanswered.
A) Did you at any time say that had you not been the chief minister, you would have been shooting bombs at Kukis?
B) Did you at any point instruct state police commandos last year to defy Amit Shah’s orders not to use bombs (including 51 mm mortar bombs) in the Kuki areas and use them instead covertly?
C) Did you start giving instructions to the commandos directly after 2-3 days of the ethnic conflict last year, bypassing the DGP and other senior IPS officials?
D) Did you at any point say at your office last year that you ensured that no looter of arms from the state police stations be arrested?
E) Did you at any point say that you will ensure supply of arms to unauthorised people through the state assembly?
F) Did you at any time say that had you not been the chief minister, you would have been shooting bombs at Kukis?
G) A) Are you opposed to the fact that most officers at the secretariat in Imphal belong to the Kuki community?
H) Are you opposed to the fact that some judges in Manipur courts belong to the Kuki community?
I) Are you opposed to the Kuki community being included in the Scheduled Tribe list?
J) Do you take credit for the ethnic violence as a result of your government’s action to clear reserved forest land?
K) Do you think the Nagas are not interested in buying land in the valley areas of Manipur because they are fighting for Independence from India?
L) Do you doubt the allegations of rape made by the two Kuki women who were paraded naked by a mob?
M) Do you believe parading naked in public a woman and groping her by a set of men is not equal to rape/gangrape or sexual assault?
N) Do you think there may not be any sexual intent in parading the women naked in public by the mob?
O) Did you ask any Meitei civil society group to tell the ‘National Investigation Agency’ that those who were arrested for the crime should instead be rewarded?
P) Did you ask any Meitei civil society group to say ‘with pride’ that it was the ‘Meitei’ (those who were in the mob) who saved those women, clothed them and sent them home while their uncle and brother were not spared by the same mob?
Q) Did you ask anyone to push through the Press the horrific case of two Meitei children killed during the ethnic conflict allegedly by Kuki militants as a counter to the community being shamed worldwide due to the viral video clip of the two Kuki women?
