The Kuki Inpi Manipur has accused the Manipur Police of selective reporting and ethnic bias in its statements on two shooting incidents reported on November 12, alleging that the force used different language while describing victims from the Kuki and Tangkhul Naga communities.
In a statement issued on November 13, the apex body of the Kuki tribes alleged that the police had downplayed the killing of a Kuki woman while explicitly identifying the alleged attackers in a separate incident involving a Tangkhul Naga civilian.
The organisation said that in its first statement concerning the death of Kimmeneing Chongloi, 40, a Kuki woman who was harvesting paddy when she was shot dead, the police described the incident simply as a “firing incident” without identifying or characterising those responsible.
However, in a statement issued minutes later about a Tangkhul Naga civilian who sustained a bullet injury, the police allegedly referred to the attackers as “suspected Kuki armed miscreants”.
Questioning the difference in wording, Kuki Inpi asked whether the woman had been exchanging fire with her attackers and whether she had used her sickle to fire bullets.
The organisation also questioned the evidence behind the police’s identification of the alleged attackers in the second incident, asking whether they had been identified or arrested and whether the bullets had been fired from the “Lungter Hills”.
“This is not the first time Manipur Police has done this,” the statement said, alleging that the force had repeatedly engaged in selective reporting and ethnic profiling since May 3, 2023, portraying Kukis as aggressors while downplaying violence against members of the community.
Kuki Inpi maintained that the police, as a constitutional institution, could not selectively assign ethnic identities to alleged perpetrators while describing killings of Kuki civilians as anonymous firing incidents.
It further argued that the alleged inconsistency raised concerns over the force’s impartiality and its obligations under Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.
The organisation has demanded an immediate internal inquiry to identify the police personnel responsible for drafting, approving and circulating the statements. It has also sought a public explanation for the alleged disparity in reporting and disclosure of the evidence used to identify the attackers as Kukis.
Other demands include disciplinary action against personnel found responsible for discriminatory reporting and an assurance from the Director General of Police that future communications will follow uniform, impartial and evidence-based standards.
Kuki Inpi has given the Manipur Police 72 hours to issue a clarification and initiate corrective measures, warning that failure to comply could prompt legal and constitutional action, including suspension of cooperation with the police in Kuki areas.
