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Tapes implicating Biren in violence manipulated, Manipur govt tells SC
A report prepared by a forensics lab stated that former Chief Minister N Biren Singh's audio clip in the Manipur violence case had “41 aberrations”.
The Manipur government claimed in the Supreme Court on Friday that an audio tape alleging complicity of former Chief Minister N Biren Singh in instigating the 2023 Manipur violence was found to be “manipulated” after forensic examination by a national lab and sought dismissal of a petition on the matter with costs.
“This is completely manipulated”
Appearing before a bench of justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva, additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati representing the state said that the tape produced by the petitioner, Kuki Organisation for Human Rights was sent to National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar which noted serious manipulations.
“This petition must be dismissed with costs. See what they have done. The report by NFSU, Gandhinagar says that the audio clip supplied by the petitioner had 41 aberrations.”
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The court directed that a copy of the report be shared with advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner and said, “It is better if you see a copy of this report. Though it says confidential, once it is submitted to us, we cannot take the lawyer by surprise.”
Bhushan questioned the report’s findings, which contradicted another finding by Truth Labs, an authoritative private forensic lab that found the voice in the audio clip to be a 93% match for the former CM’s voice.
The court reviewed the six-page report prepared by NFSU and directed, “A copy of the report shall be furnished to the petitioner with colour copy of the annexures.” The court specifically directed the petitioner not to make the report public or place it in public domain.
ASG Bhati told the court that the petitioner should not discredit a national forensic lab in this manner when their material was found to be tampered with. She told the court that at over 40 places in the tape, there were the same vehicle horn and a lady’s voice. “This is completely manipulated,” she added.
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Ethnic violence in Manipur
The ethnic clashes in Manipur first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community. The state’s Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities shut each other out from the areas they dominate since ethnic clashes began in May 2023 and left at least 260 people dead and displaced 60,000.
A new state government was formed in February, nearly a year after the imposition of the President’s Rule. It includes representatives from all three major communities as part of an attempt to maintain ethnic balance.
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Bhushan told the court he would share the report with Truth Labs, claiming it enjoys great credibility as it was founded by a former chief justice of India.
The petition has alleged that the clip revealed the CM’s involvement in fuelling the ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur. The violence claimed more than 260 lives and displaced thousands in the northeastern state.
