Manipur Government - Shooting The Messenger

The audio clip, which prima facie, proved beyond doubt that the plan for the ongoing ethnic cleansing pogrom against the Kuki-Zo people originated from N Biren Singh, established his irrefutable complicity in the crime. Indeed, the state’s version of reality is now faced with concrete evidence. The maxim, ‘walls have ears’ couldn’t be truer in this era of media convergence and words once spoken cannot be recalled. Yet, Mr N Biren Singh made a last ditch attempt to dismiss what he had spoken by terming it as ‘doctored. ’Earlier this month, social media was buzzed with short excerpts/clips of the audio recording along with a press release of the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) where some transcripts of the recording were shared. Subsequently, a DIPR statement denied and dismissed the recording as “doctored” and the state government registered an FIR No. 34(8) 2024 CCPS dated 07- 08-2024 with Cyber Crime PS.

This time, a reputed news portal The Wire broke that the recording which the Manipur government claims is ‘doctored’ – has now been placed before the Judicial Commission investigating the violence in the state. When this is supposed to be seen as a hard fact, N Biren Singh steered it to the other way round.

Yet again, the State Government’s spins doctor (DIPR) swiftly came out with another statement saying that the government is viewing such ‘acts of spreading misinformation/ disinformation through such doctored clips as anti - national activities’ without any attempt to answer the fact that the present unrest is the doings of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and that he is responsible for the mayhem.

Nothing could be more disgusting and shameful on the part of N Biren Singh and his spin doctors to issue warning that ‘anybody without exception shall be prosecuted under relevant provisions of laws of the land, if found involved in spreading such unfounded and baseless contents through any media or posting and sharing of such contents, which will escalate law and order issues in the State and derail the efforts put so far toward bring normalcy and peace in the State.’

Instead of issuing plain denial statement and stern warning and drastic steps against the ‘spreader of the message,’ the DIPR should have tried to provide evidence that the audio is being doctored. The way things turn out exposes the stark reality that is N Biren Singh.

The Manipur CM is seen seeking so strenuously to control how the people think – and what not to think – particularly about the present crisis. He thinks and imposes his thinking on peoples’ mind that he is always right and infallible.  Those who criticise or contest his narratives even with hard evidences (such as the said audio clip) are labelled as ‘trouble makers’ ‘inciting/fomenting communal violence/passion’ ‘anathema to peace’ ‘acting at the behest of external powers,’ and whatnots. Biren Singh is swift to invoke FIR against any persons who are critical of him and his policies. All these were quite evident since May 3, 2023 and much before when he started building up Meitei public sentiments against the Kuki-Zo people. Is there any other despotic traits left still in Biren Singh? The answer is not far to seek.

As is his wont, Biren Singh activated the state machineries to brush aside hard evidences that prove his complicity in the pogrom against the Kuki-Zo people such as the audio clip in question. How long his designs to control public views and thinking in this regard is going to work is only a matter of time. Indeed, it is hard to defend the truth when it pricks.

The Wire report is more than confident about the source of the clip as it mentions clearly thus:

The Wire was informed by the purported maker/s 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. The sources, claiming anonymity on account of the threat to personal safety, told The Wire that this material has also been submitted to the Commission – along with an affidavit attesting to its authenticity from the person/s who made the recording at the chief minister’s official residence –and that protection and anonymity has been sought from the Commission as well.

Again, it clearly mentions that:

While The Wire is unable to independently establish that the person heard speaking on the recording about the violence in Manipur is indeed Biren Singh, we have confirmed the date, subject and contents of this meeting with some of the participants, none of whom was willing to be identified because of fears for their safety. 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 Wire has also sent several questions to the chief minister in this regard which he is still to respond.

The above facts need to be answered by N Biren Singh and his ‘praise and worship team’ need to provide answers to those queries instead of constantly making mockery of the DIPR office after every fact about the complicity of N Biren Singh in the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kuki-Zoemerges. Intimidating people who shared the facts is akin to shooting the messenger.

Mere denial and threats (of prosecution), and of coursedismissal of the fact as concocted or doctored cannot be accepted by any sane individual. The audio is enough ground to ascertain the intent of N Biren Singh and his radical followers, who have long planned a ‘final solution’ of the Kuki-Zos. No other testimonials, than the viral audio is required to ascertain the genesis and overall schemes of the violence besieging Manipur now.

As the stark reality has unfolded, the Government of India cannot shy away from taking action rather it should act immediately. The Government of India should also understand thegenuinefear and consternation of the Kuki-Zo people who explicitly expressed theirfright to live together again with the Meiteis and their dreadfulness go back to the valley of death.It should accept now that separation is the only solution. Is New Delhi listening?

(Views are personal)