Tribal leaders within the Indian state of Manipur have appealed to the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, saying that they need international assistance in the event that they are to survive deadly anti-Christian persecution.
The killings began two years ago when Hindu mobs burned down 360 churches, 7,000 Christian homes and killed over 200 people. The survivors are unable to return and rebuild their villages and there at the moment are 60,000 Christian internally displaced people (IDPs) from the region.
Church leaders from the Kuki-Zo tribal group have helped compile a report into the situation, which has been presented to the UK Envoy, Ben Smith MP and to foreign office officials.
One of the leaders Rev Kailean Khongsai who ministers in Harrow, but is originally from the Kuki-Zo tribe in Manipur said, “The crisis in Manipur shows no sign of healing, even under President’s Rule from Delhi. Each day, I hear the sorrow within the voices of my parents, relatives, and church community—echoes of pain, fear, and despair. Many have lost hope, their future now a blur of displacement and grief.”
Rev Khongsai said that many in his community were completely cut off from essential public services, adding that the federal government is fully aware of the situation but has to date done nothing.
“We need the world to see us, hear us, and help us survive. For nearly two years, 1000’s of us have lived in unbearable conditions—displaced, forgotten, and stripped of dignity,” he said.
“Children grow up in camps without education. The sick suffers without medicine. The grieving bury their family members without answers. How long must we wait?”
British government officials are understood to have responded to the report by saying that the plight of the Kuki-Zo is “a priority issue” and that the report could help “build-up understanding” of the Manipur region, which has restrictions on foreign visitors.
Rev Khongsai added, “In conversations with distinguished Christian leaders from Manipur, one truth is heartbreakingly clear: they’re lost—broken by the destruction of their churches, homes, and livelihoods.
“One pastor, his voice trembling, asked, ‘How can we return to the Imphal valley? How can we step foot in our villages while Meitei radical groups roam freely? Who will protect us when Prime Minister Modi stays silent, and the previous Chief Minister—accused of sparking this violence—still walks free and admired?’”
The priest appealed to the British government to denounce the injustice and put pressure on the Indian government to take motion to guard and supply for the persecuted tribal group.
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