Imphal, August 26: 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), labelling it as biased, misleading, and politically motivated.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, COCOMI accused PUCL of vilifying the Meitei community while legitimising the separatist aspirations of Chin-Kuki groups. It described the tribunal’s findings as “engineered and deliberately structured to appease separatist agendas,” alleging selective omissions, fabricated claims, and a deliberate effort to shield the role of armed Kuki-Chin groups.

COCOMI cited examples of factual distortions, including the report’s claim that the Manipur High Court had directed the state government to recommend Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Meiteis—a claim refuted by the former Chief Justice. It also dismissed the report’s version of the May 2023 ethnic clashes, insisting that violence began in Churachandpur with attacks on Meitei homes, not in Imphal as suggested.

The organisation criticised the tribunal for portraying only Kuki-Zo communities as victims while overlooking the displacement and violence faced by Meiteis. It also accused the report of justifying poppy cultivation by ignoring its links to narco-terrorism and omitting admissions of involvement by Kuki-Chin armed groups.

COCOMI further condemned the tribunal’s conclusion that inter-community differences were “unbridgeable,” noting that many from the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Paite-Hmar-Thadou groups had already returned to Imphal, except those allegedly restrained by separatist outfits.

Declaring the PUCL-IPT report to have “no legitimacy and no credibility,” COCOMI announced plans to hold a public review to counter what it termed as misrepresentations. It also vowed to pursue legal action against PUCL and tribunal members for defamation and for attempting to legitimise separatist agendas.

Reaffirming its stand, COCOMI said it remains committed to protecting Manipur’s territorial integrity and will mobilise civil society, intellectuals, and legal experts to counter “propaganda masquerading as human rights.”