ASIA/INDIA - Three Kuki Baptist Pastors killed in Manipur

Imphal (Fides News Agency) –In an ambush against a convoy of Kuki Baptist Christians in the Indian state of Manipur, three Baptist pastors were brutally murdered and others were wounded. The attack occurred on May 13 at around 10:00 a.m. against the backdrop of the extremely unstable situation in Manipur, a state in northeastern India. A civil war is raging there between the Kuki and Meitei ethnic groups (the Kuki are predominantly Christian, the latter are Hindu). In recent months, the state's third ethnic group, the Naga, has also become involved in the conflict. According to the United Christian Forum of North East India (UCFNEI), the ambush of the Baptist Church took place on the road between Kangpokpi and Lamka as the delegation was returning from a church meeting. According to the Kuki community, the attack was carried out by an armed Naga group. The investigation is ongoing. Pastor Vumthang Sitlhou, president of the Thadou Baptist Association (TBA), as well as Pastors V. Kaigoulun and Paogou, were killed in the attack. Four other pastors and the two drivers were among those seriously injured.
Following the incident, law enforcement officers immediately blocked the area along National Highway 2, a major road connecting Manipur with Nagaland and the rest of the country, while fears of a new escalation of inter-community clashes.
“This brutal and inhumane act of violence has claimed the lives of innocent servants of God who dedicated their lives to peace, community service, and the spiritual well-being of their communities,” said Allen Brooks, spokesperson for UCFNEI. He added that he was “deeply shocked, saddened, and dismayed.” “These religious leaders,” Brooks continued, “were neither fighters nor politicians, but spiritual guides and pillars of hope, reconciliation, and moral guidance in a region long scarred by conflict.” “This cold-blooded ambush of servants of God demonstrates such profound malice and inhumanity that it shakes the conscience of every civilized person,” a statement from UCFNEI read.
“The murder of Baptist pastors from the Kuki community,” the statement continues, “is not simply an attack on individuals or a tribe, but an attack on the Christian faith, the sanctity of life, and the foundation of fraternity in Northeast India. No political or ethnic conflict can ever justify the killing of unarmed pastors and church workers in public streets.” The Forum calls on the governments of Manipur and the Federation to launch a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and ensure their swift punishment. It also calls for urgent intervention “to promote reconciliation and dialogue between the communities and prevent further escalation of violence,” while simultaneously “ensuring the protection of vulnerable Christian communities and religious leaders in the region.”
The Forum calls on the governments of Manipur and the Federation to launch a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and ensure their swift punishment. “We call upon all Christian denominations, civil society organizations, and people of goodwill in Northeast India and the rest of the country to unite in prayer, fasting, and peaceful advocacy for justice. May this tragedy not further divide us, but rather strengthen our resolve to combat violence in the name of Christ, who said: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid’ (Jn 14:27),” the statement concludes. (PA) (Fides News Agency, 13/5/2026)

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