The Manipur government said on Thursday that the police are probing the origins of an audio clip, allegedly containing offensive remarks against certain communities by Chief Minister Biren Singh, news agency PTI reported.
The government labelled the clip as ‘fake’ and said it had been released on social media in an attempt to disrupt the ongoing ‘peace process’ in the ethnic violence-torn state.
"It has come to notice of the government that an audio recording, falsely claiming to be that of the 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 derail the process of peace that has been initiated at multiple levels," the state government said in a statement.
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Terming the release as a 'conspiracy' to disrupt peace initiatives, the statement said, “the Manipur Police are actively investigating the matter and are committed to uncovering the origins of this defamatory campaign”. The government emphasised that therestoration of peace is of utmost importance to it.
{{/usCountry}}Terming the release as a 'conspiracy' to disrupt peace initiatives, the statement said, “the Manipur Police are actively investigating the matter and are committed to uncovering the origins of this defamatory campaign”. The government emphasised that therestoration of peace is of utmost importance to it.
{{/usCountry}}The audio clip has been circulating across social media platforms since Wednesday, The Hindu reported. A man's voice, speaking in Meitei, can be heard interacting with a couple of persons.
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Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) in a statement claimed that the audio clip contains Biren Singh's remarks “boasting in a closed-door meeting with his cliques that he initiated the war against the Kuki-Zo people to save Meitei Civilization”.
Responding to the allegations, the Manipur government shared screenshots of several users claiming that it had similar captions and said that a "coordinated and targeted campaign was underway".
The KSO has said it is willing to share the full 45-minute audio clip with "any media organisation or government agency interested in analyzing authenticity".