Imphal, Manipur, August 20 (HBTV): The Manipur state government has registered a First Information Report with the Cyber Crime Police following an audio clip circulating on social media purportedly of Chief Minister N Biren taking credit for “how and why the conflict started” and bragging that he had defied Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s order against the use of “bombs” in the conflict. Singh also purportedly bragged about shielding individuals who snatched thousands of weapons from the state police armories from arrest.

Singh has claimed that the audio clip is a “doctored one”.   

A statement issued by the state government on August 19 stated that ‘the viral doctored audio clips meant to incite communal violence and derail various peace initiatives being started by both state and central governments at multiple levels, thereby claiming the doctored clips to be that of the chief minister.’   

Accordingly, an FIR has been registered with the cyber crime Police Station in this regard and investigation is going on, the updates stated.             

The online news agency The Wire in a report published on August 19 said ‘the 48-minute recording has been formally submitted to the commission of inquiry currently probing the ethnic violence in Manipur along with an affidavit attesting to its authenticity from the persons who say they recorded the chief minister at his official residence.’  

The Wire however admitted that the authenticity of audio cannot be confirmed independently for now. The state government said strict legal action will be taken up against people who are circulating the audio.   

 In the meantime, two major Kuki organisations, the Kuki Students’ Organization and the Kuki Inpi of Manipur have condemned the Union government for maintaining silence over the matter.