[Today’s Prayer] Three Pastors in India’s Manipur, Who Led Tribal Reconciliation Efforts, Killed

In northeastern India’s Manipur state, three Baptist pastors who had been working for reconciliation between tribes were killed in an ambush attack by armed assailants. The pastors were attacked while returning home after attending a church peace conference. The incident has brought great shock to the Christian community’s reconciliation efforts amid the prolonged ethnic conflict in Manipur.

The victims were leaders affiliated with the Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI): Rev. Vumthang Sitlhou, president of the association and former general secretary of the Manipur Baptist Convention; Rev. Kaigoulun Lhouvum, secretary in charge of finance, youth, and music ministries; and Rev. Paogoulen Sitlhou, a senior pastor.

On the morning of the 13th, after finishing a United Baptist convention event held in Churachandpur (Lamka) in southern Manipur, they were traveling north toward Kangpokpi when they were attacked by armed militants between the villages of Koching and Kotlen near the Imphal–Tamenglong Highway. At least five people were injured in the attack, some of whom were urgently transferred to Shija Hospital in the capital city of Imphal.

The incident is being viewed as a severe blow to the reconciliation efforts Christian leaders had been carrying out to ease the recently worsening tensions between the Kuki and Naga tribes. In particular, Rev. Vumthang Sitlhou was known as one of the most active figures promoting dialogue and reconciliation between the two communities.

Until shortly before his death, he had participated in a peace council held in Kohima, gathering Christian leaders from both the Kuki and Naga communities. The day before he was killed, he had also attended a meeting in Churachandpur discussing ways for peaceful coexistence. He was attacked while returning home from that meeting.

The death of Rev. Sitlhou brought deep grief beyond his own community. His mother was from the Rongmei Naga tribe, and his late father, Rev. Phako Sitlhou, had ministered among the Naga community for many years and devoted himself to reconciliation ministry, including translating Kuki gospel songs into the Rongmei language.

Rev. Vijayesh Lal, secretary general of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), said, “It is deeply shocking and tragic that unarmed church leaders returning from Christian fellowship and ministry were killed,” and called for a thorough investigation and punishment of those responsible. EFI requested churches across India to offer special prayers for Manipur.

The United Christian Forum of North East India also condemned the attack, saying, “This is not merely an attack targeting individuals, but an act that shakes the very foundation of brotherhood and sisterhood in the Northeast region.”

Rev. Namseng R. Marak, secretary general of the United Christian Forum of North East India (UCFNEI), emphasized, “Our identity in Christ must transcend tribal and ethnic divisions,” and said that believers are called to be instruments of healing and peace.

The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) also released a statement describing the killings as “a hateful act contrary to God and Christian moral principles,” and called for justice and repentance rather than revenge.

Rev. Botrus Mansour, secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), also described the incident as “a horrific and unjustified attack against Christian brothers” and requested stronger protection for local Christians.

In Manipur, a state with a population of around 3.2 million, bloody clashes have continued since 2023 between the predominantly Hindu Meitei people and the Kuki Christian tribal communities in the hill regions. Recently, tensions between the Naga and Kuki tribes — both Christian tribal communities — have also sharply escalated, leading to repeated outbreaks of violence.

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Following the incident, protests and road blockades spread throughout Manipur, while the Kuki Students’ Organization announced an indefinite school shutdown. Kuki Inpi Manipur also began a three-day general strike.

The Manipur state government promised full support for medical expenses of the injured, and Governor Yumnam Khemchand Singh stated, “This violence is a cowardly act of terror blocking the path to peace,” vowing to bring both the attackers and those behind them to justice.

Source: Christian Today

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8–9)

We hear the heartbreaking news that in Manipur, northeastern India, the bloody conflict that has continued since 2023 between the predominantly Hindu Meitei people and the Christian Kuki tribal communities in the hill regions has recently spread into tensions between the Naga and Kuki tribes, both Christian tribal communities, leading to repeated violence.

In the midst of this tragedy, where three pastors in Manipur who had actively worked for dialogue and reconciliation were killed, Lord, please comfort the grieving families and church members. May those responsible for the attack and those behind it quickly be revealed, and may You show mercy so that the conflict in Manipur may soon come to an end.

Please remember the blood of these pastors’ martyrdom, and may the Christian communities among the Naga and Kuki tribes become united in heart in Jesus Christ, who taught love through the cross — showing sympathy, loving one another as brothers and sisters, showing compassion, and serving with humility.

May they break away from repaying evil with evil or insult with insult as the world does, and instead bless one another. May the Naga and Kuki peoples carry out the Lord’s calling upon them and become peoples who proclaim the gospel throughout India and the nations.

For this purpose, may the churches in India and around the world actively intercede for Manipur and work toward mediation. May the Manipur state government and the Indian government communicate actively and transparently about the situation in real time, preparing a path for restoration between the Naga and Kuki peoples through the Holy Spirit.

And so, through the Naga and Kuki peoples, may the shalom of Jesus Christ come upon India, and may India become a nation that receives the blessing of the Lord from the beginning of creation and pours it out to all nations.