The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a leading Kuki-Zo organisation, on Thursday said the National Forensic Science Laboratory’s report submitted to the Supreme Court on the purported audiotapes of former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh linked to the ongoing unrest was “deeply troubling”.
“The NFSL’s recent statement to the Supreme Court — claiming it is “not in a position” to confirm the authenticity or identify the voice due to alleged tampering — is deeply troubling. Such evasion from a government-run institution raises serious concerns about bias and accountability in a case involving grave human rights violations,” a statement issued by the ITLF said.
According to the excerpts from a report submitted to the Supreme Court, the Gujarat lab had said the audio tapes were “tampered with” and hence unfit for voice comparison.
On Monday, the apex court read out the excerpts from the NFSL report during the hearing of a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust seeking a court-monitored probe into the audiotapes purportedly featuring the voice of Biren Singh “indicating his partisan complicity in the ongoing violence”.
The ongoing unrest in Manipur involving the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities erupted on May 3, 2023, leaving at least 260 dead and over 60,000 displaced. Singh resigned in February this year.
The ITLF, in its statement, said the NFSL report was “in sharp contrast” to the Truth Labs report on the audio tapes. The statement said the Truth Labs, an independent and reputable forensic agency, “conclusively identified a 93 per cent voice match with Biren Singh. This scientific evidence remains unchallenged, except by government-controlled bodies seemingly serving political interests”.
The ITLF then urged the central government “to end its protection of Biren Singh and allow justice to prevail”. The statement said “the recordings clearly expose his (Biren’s) complicity in the violence… Continued denial and contradictory reports only extend the trauma of the victims and obstruct the truth...”
The Manipur government had in 2024 dismissed the audio clips as “doctored”, asserting these were being circulated in “likelihood of inciting hatred and mistrust amongst communities” and “derail the peace initiatives launched by the state and Central governments” in the strife-hit state. The state government also viewed such “acts of spreading misinformation/disinformation through such doctored clips as anti-national activities...”
The next hearing is on December 8.
Slain rebels’ funeral
The four United Kuki National Army (UKNA) cadres, who were killed in an army operation in Manipur’s Churachandpur, were buried on Thursday evening, hours after the post-mortem examination was conducted.
The ITLF on Tuesday condemned the killing of the four cadres while asserting that “the UKNA is not a terrorist organisation, nor has it ever acted against the interests of the Indian nation or its security forces”.
The forum had said: “...ITLF reaffirms that their sacrifices will continue to inspire our collective struggle for political recognition and lasting peace for the Kuki-Zo people.”
The ITLF also called for a total shutdown in Churachandpur town as a mark of “respect and mourning” from 12 noon on Thursday till the burial of the four is completed.
The shutdown, which was lifted around 5.30pm, evoked a mixed response.
The main market areas of the town remained open while normal life was affected in certain pockets.
Additional reporting by PTI
