In fresh violence in Manipur on Wednesday, suspected militants shot dead three church leaders and wounded four others in Kangpokpi district, while a civilian was shot dead and his wife injured in Noni district, officials said.
The Kangpokpi incident occurred in the morning hours at a place between Kotzim and Kotlin villages when members of the Thado Baptist Association (TBA) were returning from Churachandpur after attending a religious gathering.
The second accident occurred at a place between the villages of Juzangtik and Nongsai in Nonni district at around 8 p.m.
After the Kangpokpi ambush, Prime Minister Y Kemchand Singh said that such “senseless acts of violence” against innocent civilians threaten peace in Manipur which has been rocked by ethnic violence since 2023.
The chief ministers of Mizoram and Manipur condemned the killing of the church leaders and demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
Following the killings, a complete lockdown was imposed in the Kangbukpi district, where the Kuki are the majority.
A forum of Naga legislators and the Kuki Organization also denounced the killings, while the Maiti group rejected claims by some quarters that it was behind the ambush.
Police said suspected militants ambushed the two cars in which the church leaders were traveling.
Among those killed was Reverend Sitlhor, former general secretary of the Manipur Baptist Conference. They added that the other two dead were Pastor Kaigulin and Pastor Bagulin.
The Prime Minister said that three of the injured were admitted to Shiga Hospitals and Research Institute in Imphal.
He, Deputy Prime Minister Lucy Dekho and Home Minister Govindas Kunthugam visited the injured in the hospital.
“The state government will bear all medical expenses of the injured and have directed the authorities to ensure that they get the highest standard of care,” Singh said in a statement.
“This act of violence is very disturbing and devastating not only to the families but to the entire state, as it disrupts our path towards peace. Our state is gradually moving towards peace, so actions that undermine this collective effort of our people to restore normalcy are unacceptable,” he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that there is no justification in any society for acts of terrorism, and said that the entire people of the state stand united against such a terrorist act.
“Our determination to combat terrorism is unwavering,” he said, calling on all segments of society to support peace, exercise restraint, and refrain from emotional reactions.
“Furthermore, I urged people to immediately stop kidnappings, hostage-taking and intimidation on communal lines. This will only worsen the situation. I assure people that we will use all state resources to bring the perpetrators and their supervisors to justice,” he added.
In a statement in Shillong, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said: “The victims, who were respected members of the Kuki Baptist community and associated with the Manipur Baptist Convention and the Kuki Church Leaders Forum, dedicated their lives to spiritual guidance, peace building and service to humanity.”
Sangma said the brutal and cowardly killing was extremely disturbing and completely unacceptable in any civilized society.
Mizoram Chief Minister Laldu Homa expressed deep sorrow over the killing of the church leaders.
“I am deeply saddened and pained by the brutal killing of Kuki church leaders in Manipur. Such heinous violence is condemnable and completely unacceptable,” he said in a post on X.
Both Meghalaya and Mizoram are Christian majority states in the north-eastern region.
Meanwhile, the Forum of Naga Legislative Councils, which consists of nine MLAs from the Naga community in Manipur, said in a statement: “This act of cold-blooded killing of a defenseless, peace-loving religious leader is unacceptable and we urge the law enforcement agencies to trace and book the perpetrators as soon as possible.”
Following the killings, a complete lockdown was imposed in the Kangbukpi district, with angry locals forcing the closure of markets and vehicular movement along the NH 2 highway.
Meitei Arambai Tenggol denied any role in the ambush.
In a statement, she described the accusations regarding her involvement as “unfounded and politically motivated.”
Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribe in the state, also condemned the incident.
“Pastor Sitlho is a respected church leader and peacemaker who recently led a peace mission alongside the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum (NJCF) in Kohima to promote peace, reconciliation and mutual understanding between the Kuki Zo and Tangkul communities,” the statement read.
Zomi Students Union – General Headquarters condemned the attack on church leaders and civilians and announced the closure of areas of the town from 6pm onwards until further notice.
Meanwhile, in Noni, the civilian identified as Wilson Thanga and his wife were returning to their home in Dulang village in a four-wheeler from Imphal when they were attacked by suspected militants.
While Thanga died on the spot, his wife was injured in the attack.
Manipur has seen at least 260 people killed and thousands displaced in violence between Meitei and Kuki communities since May 2023.
