GUWAHATI: The Manipur government said a "doctored" audio clip containing the alleged voice of Chief Minister N Biren Singh was being circulated on social media by certain sections with a "malicious attempt" to incite communal violence or "derail the process of peace" initiated at multiple levels.
The government's remarks came in response to a three-part news report published by The Wire on Monday.
"Our social media analysis indicates that a coordinated and targeted campaign is underway, with numerous X (formerly Twitter) accounts sharing the audio with similar captions," Manipur's directorate of information and public relations said in a statement in response to The Wire's news report.
It also stated that Manipur Police were probing the matter and committed to uncovering the origins of this "defamatory campaign."
The government warned that legal action would be taken against all individuals and organisations involved in the conspiracy.
"We urge the public to remain vigilant and refrain from sharing unverified information. The restoration of peace and harmony amongst our communities is of utmost importance at this juncture, more than ever. The state government will not tolerate any action that threatens to disrupt the peace process."
Earlier, an FIR was registered with the Cyber Crime police station in Imphal when the audio clip surfaced on social media.
The ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis, which broke out on May 3 last year, left at least 226 people dead and some 60,000 others displaced.
What does the report say?
The news report published by The Wire on August 19 had drawn attention to what it stated was the alleged role of the Manipur CM in the ongoing ethnic violence that broke out in the state on May 3, 2023.
The report cites an alleged recording of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, which The Wire says it has not independently verified. It adds that the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to investigate the Manipur violence has also received the audio file, which reportedly highlights the "official complicity" of the CM in the violence.
The report says, "The Wire was informed by the purported makers of the 48-minute recording that it was done in person at a meeting where the Chief Minister unmistakably indicated his partisan complicity in the ongoing violence."
"Some persons claiming to have been participants at the meeting assert that the voice is indeed of Chief Minister Biren Singh and that he did say all the things in the recording in their presence," the news report alleged.
"The recording we are publishing today captures the voice alleged to be of the Chief Minister mocking Union home minister Amit Shah, discussing the use of 'bombs' in the state, and bragging about defying Shah's orders and shielding those who took thousands of lethal weapons from state police armouries," according to the report by The Wire.
The news report had also alleged that the purported audio clip also supported the use of "lethally destructive ammunition in parts of the state last year."
The report, citing the audio clip, alleges that during his visit in May 2023, Amit Shah had reportedly questioned the Chief Minister about the use of bombs and instructed him not to use them. However, after Shah left, Singh allegedly directed that bombs should be used covertly rather than openly.
The Wire's report also accused Singh of shielding individuals who had looted thousands of firearms from state police armouries. The voice in the recording allegedly claims that no arrests were made for the looted weapons and that if anyone were to be arrested, there would be interventions to secure their release once the situation calmed down.
The report further quoted 'reliable sources' saying that despite pressure from the Union government, including a video conference where Shah warned Singh about the impact on his political career if arms were not recovered, Singh had failed to recover a significant cache of looted weapons.
The report, citing sources, says that the full audio clip has been submitted to the MHA's CoI, headed by Justice (Retd) Ajai Lamba, a former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court.