COCOMI rejects independent tribunal report, terms it politically motivated

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has strongly rejected the Independent People’s Tribunal (IPT) report released by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), alleging that it is biased, misleading, and politically motivated. The committee claimed that the report vilifies the Meitei community while legitimising the separatist aspirations of Chin-Kuki armed groups.
Addressing a press conference at its office today, COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said the committee, after thoroughly reviewing the IPT report, found that it does not contribute to peace, justice, or reconciliation. Instead, he alleged, the report emboldens narco-terrorist groups and poses a threat to national security.
Athouba described the report as “engineered and structured to advance separatist agendas,” stating that its content reflects bias, selective omissions, and fabrications. He pointed out that the report falsely claimed that the Manipur High Court had directed the State Government to recommend Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitei community to the Centre. “This is patently false. The former Chief Justice himself clarified that the High Court has no authority to issue such a directive,” he said.
Referring to the report’s account of the outbreak of violence, Athouba contested the claim that mobs first rampaged through Kuki settlements in Imphal, leading to retaliatory violence against Meitei homes in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi. He argued that evidence clearly shows the first incidents of arson occurred in Torbung-Kangvai, Churachandpur, where Meitei homes were attacked in daylight, while retaliation in Imphal followed only later in the evening.
He further criticised the report’s description of communities being “driven out,” saying it framed Kukis as the sole victims while ignoring that Meiteis were the first to face attacks in Kangvai. The section titled “The Outcome was de facto ethnic partition” was also dismissed by Athouba as echoing separatist narratives and attempting to legitimise demands for a separate administration.
According to COCOMI, the report downplays the role of Kuki-Chin armed groups in the violence while repeatedly naming only Meitei organisations such as Arambai Tengol and Meitei Leepun. Athouba said the omission of groups like ITLF, COTU, Kuki Inpi, Kuki Students’ Organization, and Kuki Zo Council reveals the report’s bias.
He also criticised the portrayal of poppy cultivation as poverty-driven, calling it an attempt to justify narco-terrorism, and rejected what he termed fabricated historical claims portraying Meiteis as anti-Indian. “Meiteis have consistently contributed to the nation, producing Army officers, martyrs, and achievers in sports, culture, and science. Such distortions are unacceptable,” he asserted.
“The PUCL and its members cannot hide behind the pretext of human rights to justify falsehoods. They must be held legally accountable for every baseless statement,” Athouba said.
COCOMI announced that it will organise a public review meeting on the report and will consult civil society, intellectuals, and legal experts to decide its future course of action. The committee reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the integrity and unity of Manipur against what it termed fabricated reports designed for international audiences and separatist propaganda.