New Delhi: As many as 13 cases related to the ethnic violence in Manipur have been handed over to the National Investigating Agency (NIA), chief minister N Biren Singh told the state assembly this past February 24.
However, an audio recording recently submitted to the official Commission of Inquiry on the Manipur violence suggests the process of “handing over” may not always have been a smooth one and that the premier Union government’s agency’s ability to investigate some of these cases may have been compromised as a result.
The audio features the voice of a man speaking in Meiteilon whom the person/s who take responsibility for making the recording have identified – in a signed and sworn affidavit – as Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh. For the record, the Manipur government has claimed the recording is “doctored” and that the voice heard is not that of the chief minister. On its part, The Wire cannot independently verify the identity of the speaker but can confirm that the recording and affidavit were formally submitted to the Justice Ajai Lamba commission last month.
Given the compelling public interest involved in the contents of this recording – both for the people of Manipur and the rest of India – The Wire is placing some key excerpts in the public domain. The question of whose voice it is in the tape is a contested one before a public and statutory commission of inquiry, and as such also a matter of public interest.
In the recording, the voice, purportedly that of Biren Singh, boasts to his audience about how he intervened in an ethnic violence-related case some time last year to ensure that an NIA team present in Imphal couldn’t arrest all the “five” persons it wanted.
Significantly, the voice also claimed that he succeeded in holding back most of the accused wanted by the NIA team in spite of Union home minister Amit Shah telling him on the telephone to allow the central team to carry out its work. As per the claim made in the recording, Shah had categorically asked Singh to send all “five” of them in a helicopter belonging to the Border Security Force (BSF) along with the NIA team.
“NIA ka pura team hai (in Imphal) hum ka bhi izzat dekho (The full NIA team is present there; show some respect to us),” Amit Shah was quoted as saying by the voice. But the NIA was finally given only two of the five men they sought.
This is an English translation of the relevant section of the recording:
“At that time (or situation), I could not speak out a lot but at last, the home minister himself called me on phone…there is a helicopter for the BSF (Border Security Force) but arrest those five and send them…I did not reply at first. The first time the home minister phoned me, I was told for the five to be arrested and handed over…I did not react; he was calling because of his own tension…arms being snatched…no arrests are made, etc. etc….the Supreme Court is saying this…that…there were calls even for the PM to resign…I did not give a reply immediately.
I know…I am assessing the situation…2-3 hours after Amit Shah Ji called, I then said I would take action at my level; then he said…Arre, NIA pura team hair…hum ka bhi izzat dekho (The full NIA team is there…show some respect to us). So, that is how it happened…they said two of them…and so we agreed on that…out of respect and on consideration of the any wrong actions by the five…”
Though Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have solidly stood by Biren Singh ever since the violence erupted last year – Shah told parliament in August 2023 that Singh “is cooperating” with the Centre and that there were no grounds for the Opposition to demand his sacking – the recording if indeed it is of Singh, suggests that he may on occasion have been happy to delay action on – or even parry – requests made directly by Shah despite knowing that Modi’s own national standing would take a beating as a result.
The breakdown of law and order has taken a heavy toll on the north-eastern border state, leading to killing of over 200 people by now, while at least 60,000 others belonging to both the Kuki and Meitei communities are still displaced. As per official records, as many as 39 people are still missing. The state is virtually divided into two on ethnic lines with central forces guarding the buffer zone.
As stated in the first part of Manipur Tapes, The Wire is unable to independently establish that the person heard speaking on the recording about the violence in Manipur is indeed Biren Singh, but we have confirmed the date, subject and contents of this meeting with some of the participants, none of whom was willing to be identified because of fears for their safety. Some persons claiming to have been participants at the meeting held at the chief minister’s official residence sometime last year, assert that the voice is indeed of Biren Singh and that he did say all the things in the recording in their presence.
Read the first four ‘Manipur Tapes’ reports here, here, here and here.
The Wire had obtained a copy of the recording, which in total is about 48 minutes long, from a well-placed source in July 2024, and has transcribed and translated its contents. The Wire had, however, refrained from publication until it was told that the same has been placed on the record of the official Commission of Inquiry set up under the law. The Commission was set up by a notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on June 4, 2023.
The date and time of the recording as well as the circumstances under which it was made at the chief minister’s official residence have been provided to the Commission in the affidavit but The Wire is withholding from publication any particulars that might help lead to the disclosure of the deponent/s’ identity and endanger their security. The deponent/s have also sought confidentiality from the Commission citing the sensitivity of the content and possible threat to their life and limb, which has been granted, The Wire has learnt.
Questions to the Chief Minister
Keeping in view the claim made by the voice identified by the deponent/s as that of the chief minister made in their presence, The Wire has sent the following questions to Biren Singh’s office. If any response is received, will be added here.
The Wire is aware that your office has issued a denial of the voice on the tape being that of the Chief Minister and the same has been carried by the Wire repeatedly. Independently thereof, questions affecting public interest remain and the following are some of them.
A) Did N. Biren Singh stop an NIA team present in Imphal last year from arresting five people accused in a case of violence?
B) Did the chief minister speak to the union home minister Amit Shah to stop the NIA team in Imphal from arresting the five people and taking them away from the state in a BSF helicopter last year?
C) Did the Chief Minister’s intervention lead the NIA team to only arrest two persons in that case?
Questions to the NIA Spokesperson
Since the claims made in the audio recording purportedly compromise the independence of the NIA, a premier probe agency of the country, The Wire has also sent the following set of questions to the NIA spokesperson Jaya Roy. If any response is received, will be added here.
A) Did any NIA team face any hindrance from the Manipur government or chief minister N Biren Singh in arresting all the accused it wanted in any of their cases related to the ethnic conflict?
B) How many cases arising from the recent ethnic conflict in Manipur is the NIA investigating?
C) Was there a specific number of arrestees in the NIA’s plan of action, and could they all be arrested? If not, were they subsequently caught, or are they still treated as absconding?
D) What is the current status of the investigation? Has the charge-sheet or final report been filed?
