The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), representing 14 million Protestant and Orthodox Christians, has issued an urgent appeal for peace in Manipur as fresh violence continues to claim lives and displace hundreds in the northeastern state.
Speaking to Christian Today, NCCI General Secretary Rev. Asir Ebenezer said the situation has reached “a critical point where families are torn apart and communities are living in fear.” In a strongly-worded statement expressing “deep anguish” over the escalating crisis, he called for immediate deployment of additional central forces and a transparent peace process involving all communities. “Peace is possible, but it requires all stakeholders to come together in genuine dialogue,” he said, adding that the Church stands ready to facilitate reconciliation between communities as winter approaches, making humanitarian intervention particularly urgent for displaced elderly and children.
The appeal comes amid a new surge of violence in Jiribam district, where six people, including three women and three children, were killed after being abducted from a relief camp. The victims included 31-year-old Telem Thoibi Devi, her eight-year-old daughter Telem Thajmanbi Devi, and an eight-month-old infant, Laisram Langamba Singh. The bodies were recovered near the Assam-Manipur border, with two more bodies - those of 65-year-old Y Rani Devi and her two-year-old grandson Laisram Chingkheiganba Singh - found in the Barak river in Lakhipur.
Meanwhile the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a coalition of eight major tribal organizations, reported that five churches, a school, a petrol pump, and 14 tribal homes were burnt in Jiribam by “Meitei miscreants”. The churches targeted included the Independent Church of India, Evangelical Free Church of India, Salvation Church, Presbyterian (Vaiphei) Church, and Evangelical Assembly Church. “More than 360 churches have been destroyed since the ethnic conflict started in Manipur as if this is some kind of religious war,” the ITLF stated.
On November 19, the state cabinet, under Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, passed a resolution calling for the withdrawal of six police stations in valley districts from AFSPA’s purview, abrogation of the Suspension of Operation agreement with Kuki-Zo underground groups, and withdrawal of 9 and 22 Assam Rifles from Churachandpur and Kangpokpi buffer zones.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) from Kangpokpi strongly criticised this resolution, which was adopted in the absence of 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, calling it “a clear indication of the administration’s complicity in the present ethnic persecution and mass genocide pogrom of Kuki-Zo.” COTU highlighted that the Supreme Court has accepted for investigation an audio record allegedly containing Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s “candid admission” regarding involvement in what they term a “genocide pogrom.”
COTU emphasised that while all casualties are regrettable, authorities must address the deaths of 218 Kuki-Zo individuals, including one-month-old baby Issac and seven-
year-old Tonsing Hangshing, “some of whom were gang raped, decapitated, butchered and charred to death.”
The violence has prompted authorities to impose curfew in three Imphal Valley districts - Imphal East, Imphal West, and Kakching. A five-hour relaxation was granted on Wednesday, during which residents rushed to markets to purchase essential supplies and queued at petrol pumps.
The recent violence began with what the ITLF described as an “unprovoked attack” on Zairawn village in Jiribam, where militants allegedly burned the village and killed a 31-year-old woman. The body of another victim, 27-year-old Haojoel Doungel from Pangmol village, was found with signs of torture. His wife is reportedly pregnant, and he was allegedly abducted when visiting her at the Hmarkhawlien Relief Camp.
The situation has also triggered political ramifications. The National People’s Party (NPP), led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, withdrew support from the N. Biren Singh-led government, citing “complete failure” in resolving the crisis. However, Sangma indicated they might reconsider their stance if there is a change in leadership.
The Naga Women's Union has appealed for restraint, particularly in targeting vulnerable populations. “Selection of innocent children and women as hostages and killing them mercilessly to show retaliation mode is an act of cowardice,” the union emphasised in its statement.
The NCCI’s appeal emphasises the need for swift humanitarian aid, particularly as winter approaches, and calls for accountability regardless of ethnic differences. The council has offered to collaborate with the government in initiatives fostering dialogue and reconciliation among all communities.
COTU has urged the Government of India to intervene politically by ensuring constitutional protection for the minority Kuki-Zo community under Article 239A “for lasting peace and stability in the region.”
The violence has effectively divided Manipur into two ethnic enclaves - the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley and Kuki-majority hills, with more than 260 lives lost and 60,000 people displaced since the conflict began in May 2023.
