Violence, persecution continue in India’s Manipur State

More than a month after mob violence began in the Manipur State of northeast India, at least 250 churches have been burned, and casualty reports grow daily. Officials report more than 300 people have been injured, and about 37,000 displaced people are in relief shelters. More than 4,000 cases of arson have been reported. (Photo distributed by CSW)

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More than a month after mob violence began in the Manipur State of northeast India, at least 250 churches have been burned, and casualty reports grow daily.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the region in mid-May and called on the minority Kuki and majority Meitei ethnic communities to observe a two-week truce.

“The violence did not stop,” said Pastor Thong Lun of Greater Houston Burmese Christian Fellowship. Thong’s church has a longstanding ministry among refugees from Myanmar who live in northeast India, and he has maintained close contact with sources there.

“The majority-Hindu Meitei did not stop,” Thong said. “They attacked villages.”

Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh announced the death toll reached 98 on June 2, but other sources estimate twice that number of fatalities.

“In remote tribal areas, there are people who have been missing for weeks, and there is no way to know if they are dead,” Thong said.

Officials report more than 300 people have been injured, and about 37,000 displaced people are in relief shelters. More than 4,000 cases of arson have been reported.

From political dispute to ethnic cleansing

Conflict between the Kuki, a predominantly Christian ethnic group, and the Meitei, who are mostly Hindu, began as a political dispute over land rights.

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Riots first broke out in response to May 3 protests calling on the government to grant scheduled tribe status to the Metei people. Scheduled tribes have constitutionally granted property protection, and tribal members have access to political representation, educational benefits and affirmative action in employment.


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The political situation is “complicated and difficult for anyone on the outside to understand,” Thong acknowledged.

But he views the mob violence—and the lack of protection offered by state police—as clearly evil.

“It is ethnic cleansing,” Thong said. “And there’s also religious persecution involved. … The Meitei Hindu nationalists are determined to wipe out the tribal Kuki Christians from the land.

“But the mobs also are destroying Meitei Christian churches and killing their own people who are Christians. Mobs raided police stations and took about 5,000 guns they are turning on their own people.”

Thong expressed hope President Biden will raise issues of human rights and religious freedom—particularly the persecution of Kuki Christians in Manipur—when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in the United States for a White House visit and state dinner in two weeks.

The Kuki Christians desperately need humanitarian aid, and ethnic and religious minorities in the region need protection the state police are failing to provide, Thong said.

He urged Texas Baptists and other concerned Christians to pray for an end to violence in Manipur and for the protection of those who are helpless, such as refugees from Myanmar—such as his own mother—who have been living near the border.

“She moved to India two years ago” after the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, he noted. “In the town where she has been living, she was frightened by the fighting and burning. Now, she is moving back to Burma—even though there is no safety there, either.”

Mervyn Thomas, founding president of the Christian Solidarity Worldwide human rights organization, likewise called for the protection of vulnerable communities.

“Manipur has been in a state of shocking violence for over a month now, and it is clear that the measures taken by the state and central governments thus far have been insufficient to halt this crisis,” he said.

“We extend our deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in the violence and stand in solidarity with those displaced from their homes. We call on authorities in Manipur to ensure that vulnerable communities are protected, that those who have been displaced are able to return home safely and afforded any assistance they may need to rebuild their lives, and that those responsible for these egregious acts are brought to justice.”


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