New Delhi: The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights (KOHUR), in an affidavit sworn on November 20, has alleged that the Manipur Police forwarded heavily-truncated audio clips for forensic examination instead of the complete 48-minute-46-second recording, thereby preventing forensic verification of the authenticity of the 'Manipur tapes'.

On this basis, it has reiterated its demand for a court-monitored investigation to uncover the “larger conspiracy” behind the violence in Manipur.

In the affidavit, KOHUR claimed that the shortened clips Manipur Police forwarded for forensic testing amounts to "selective transmission of material which raises serious concern regarding the bona fides of the respondent's conduct and its impact on the fairness of the ongoing investigation".

The investigation – and an ongoing case in the Supreme Court – deal with the allegation that there are audio clips of chief minister Biren Singh in which he is making statements concerning "looting of arms and the use of bombs and instructions to the police", and other issues related to the ethnic violence that broke out in Manipur in 2023.

Also read: Manipur Tapes: Did Biren Singh Get Banned Militant Groups to ‘Join Together’ With the Police?

According to the KOHUR document, the Office of the Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crimes, Manipur, sent only four clips running for 30 seconds, 36 seconds, 1 minute 28 seconds and 1 minute 47 seconds to forensic laboratories. It argued that by withholding the full recording, authorities prevented experts from examining its authenticity, which led to inconclusive findings by the National Forensic Sciences University and Central Forensic Science Laboratory.

Even after the CFSL's first report on the tapes, dated May 5, 2025, was found unsatisfactory by the court, and a fresh examination was ordered, there still could be no conclusive determination on whether the voice matched that of Biren Singh.

Thereafter, the audios were examined by the National Forensic Science University (NFSU), Gandhinagar. It reportedly found signs of editing and manipulation and said the tapes were unsuitable for reliable voice comparison.

KOHUR, on the other hand, relied on a forensic assessment carried out by Truth Labs, a private forensic agency that was given access to the 48-minute and 46-second recording and multiple voice samples from YouTube and other sources. Truth Labs concluded that there was a 93% probability that the voice matched that of the chief minister.

Also read: No Need to Protect Those Involved in Wrongdoing, Says SC in Manipur Tapes Hearing

On this basis, KOHUR has alleged that the findings of the government forensic agencies were inconclusive because the state supplied only partial and edited audio material for analysis.

The organisation has once again sought an independent oversight through a court-monitored special investigation team for a fair and impartial investigation. It said that the police could not proceed with its investigation into the matter due to inconclusive reports, but that the lack of a firm conclusion "...cannot, by itself, be treated as a ground to stifle investigation at the threshold".

"...a criminal case must be set in motion based on the audio recording and the Truth Lab report, so that the truth may emerge through a fair, independent and comprehensive investigation," it concluded.

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