The Truth Lab, engaged in verifying the authenticity of a voice clip leaked by The Wire—allegedly belonging to Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh—has certified a 93% match between the clip and Singh’s voice samples, stating a “high probability” that they are the same voice.
The lab’s report confirmed that the audio tape “was found to be a continuous recording predominantly containing the voice of one male person, with a few interfering noises apparently caused by spatial movements of a recording device, as well as background noises and voices of other speakers.”
Importantly, the report stated: “It has been found that the probability of the male speakers in the Q/M and S/M being the same person is 93 percent.”
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), has submitted a supplementary affidavit in the Supreme Court, attaching a copy of the Truth Lab certification report.
Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Manipur and Union governments, has sought three weeks to have the tape verified by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), calling it a government lab.
The Wire, in a series titled Manipur Tapes, released the audio clips last year, exposing the alleged complicity of Chief Minister Biren Singh in the ethnic violence that has killed more than 200 people, injured several, and displaced at least 70,000 from the Kuki and Meitei communities.
The 48-minute audio clip was reportedly provided by a person who claimed to have recorded it at an official premises associated with Singh. In the tape, a voice believed to be that of the Chief Minister describes a conversation between himself and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, discussing the use of “bombs” in the state. Singh allegedly claims credit for “starting the operations” and admits defying Shah’s orders while shielding militants who stole weapons from police armories.
Biren Singh allegedly recounts: “When Amit Shah came here, he asked, ‘Biren ji! Tum bomb marta hai? Bombs mat use karna (You are using bombs? Don’t use them).’ He instructed us to stop using bombs, summoning the DGP and all. After he left, I told them, ‘Hoi! Chupke se karna hai, open nahi karna hai (It should be used covertly, not openly). If you don’t trust me, check with the commandos on the frontline’.”
The verification followed a Supreme Court directive from a three-judge bench led by then Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, instructing the petitioner to authenticate the tape and submit a report. The KOHUR petitioned the apex court seeking a court-monitored probe into the recording.
Prashant Bhushan engaged Truth Lab, a credible private forensic lab often used by government agencies, to verify the tape. Alongside the leaked audio, Bhushan submitted a voice sample of Biren Singh from a news conference for comparison.
With this certification, the Manipur government—previously dismissing the audio as “doctored”—once again faces scrutiny.
Earlier, KOHUR had accused Manipur Police of harassing its chairman, Benjamin Mate, over the audio leak involving CM Biren Singh.
