Kuki Inpi accuses Manipur Police of ethnic bias in reporting shooting incidents

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 Kuki and Tangkhul Naga victims.

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 killing of Kimmeneing Chongloi, 40, a Kuki woman who was harvesting paddy when she was shot dead, the police described the incident merely as a case of "firing incident" without identifying or characterising those responsible.

However, in a statement issued minutes later regarding a Tangkhul Naga civilian who sustained a bullet injury, the police allegedly described the attackers as "suspected Kuki armed miscreants".

Questioning the difference in the wording, Kuki Inpi asked whether the woman had been exchanging gunfire with her attackers and whether she had fired bullets using her sickle.

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 since May 3, 2023, the force had repeatedly engaged in selective reporting and ethnic profiling while portraying Kukis as aggressors and downplaying violence against members of the community.

The organisation said 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 such reporting raised questions about the force's impartiality and its obligations under Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.

Kuki Inpi has sought an immediate internal inquiry to identify police personnel responsible for drafting, approving and circulating the statements. It has also demanded a public explanation for the alleged inconsistency in reporting and disclosure of the evidence used to identify the attackers as Kukis.

Among its other demands are 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.

The organisation has given the Manipur Police 72 hours to issue a clarification and initiate corrective action, warning that failure to comply could lead to legal and constitutional remedies, including suspension of cooperation with the police in Kuki areas.