Manipur Christian body submits memorandum to governor

The All Manipur Christian Organisation (AMCO) on Monday submitted a memorandum to Governor of Manipur Gurbachan Jagat denouncing the recent arson on three churches in the state.

The Christian body condemned the series of attack on churches and said the governor must intervene for a peaceful resolve.

In the memorandum, the governor was informed that churches at Mayang Langjing, Taothong and Phayeng were burnt down on May 10 and 12. Further, an amount of Rs 10,000 had also been also stolen from Phumlou Baptist Church.

The incident, according to the AMCO, has caused fear and trauma among Christians in these areas. The governor must take action against the perpetrators of these incidents, it said.

On May 10, unidentified miscreants burnt down Phumlou Baptist Church and Taothong ECA Church. Windows, furniture and music instruments were destroyed in the fire.

Two days later, arson was again reported on St Joseph Catholic Church located at Phayeng Sabal Leikai.

According to the All India Christian Council (aicc), the burning of churches had come after a long break of five years. It was in 2004 and 2005 that the state witnessed violence on Christians when over 10 churches were gutted down.