Indian Christians to hold a prayer vigil in front of the U.N. for the victims of violence in Manipur, India on Saturday August 5 Noon
NEW YORK (TIP): ‘Concerned Citizens on Manipur,’ an activist group, is organizing a prayer vigil in front of the United Nations building in Manhattan on Saturday, August 5th, at 11 am in solidarity with the victims of violence in the northeastern State of Manipur in India and to pray for restoration of peace. The tiny State of Manipur has witnessed violent conflict between the majority of Meitei and a minority of Kuki tribes. Stabbing, chopping, burning, shooting, and other attacks killed more than 140 people. Mobs have destroyed more than 400 churches and shrines; houses have been burnt, some with inhabitants in them and over 50,000 people have been displaced into temporary relief camps in miserable states. Parading of naked women, gang rape and sexually abusing them have occurred in public spaces. Although the Government is supposed to protect the lives and properties of its citizens, the BJP government in power in the State and at the Center has done very little to quell the violence. Independent observers report that the Government has indirectly tolerated the majority Meitei community to continue the atrocities. The BJP government is a fundamentalist Hindutva party advocating for converting India into a Hindu nation. The religious
Violence and State Inaction in Manipur Condemned Across the World
The ongoing ethnic/religious violence in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur and the lack of adequate response from the state have been condemned by people and organizations around the world. The violence erupted on May 3 after the Kuki-Zomi community protested against the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The majority Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 percent and reside mostly in the hill districts. Reports of tribal Kuki attacks on ethnic Meiteis circulated immediately after the protest, which in turn plunged the Imphal Valley which accommodates 90% of Manipur’s population into an outburst of violence against Kuki tribal Christians. At the same time, ethnic Meitei settlements in the Kuki-dominated hills surrounding the valley also were the targets of violence. While the official death count now totaling around 150, with the overwhelming majority of the victims being Kuki Christians, human rights observers estimate the figure to be underestimated. Nearly 60,000 people, most of them Kuki Christians, now have fled their homes to the Kuki-dominated hills and to other states to escape the arson attacks, and more than 300 churches have been burned and
357 Churches in India Set On Fire With the Support of the Authorities
(ZENIT News) The Thursday, 20th July the monsoon session of India’s parliament was disrupted by politicians demanding an emergency debate on a video footage of two women being led naked by a mob in Manipur – before they were gang raped, according to reports. The event occurred on 4th May, the day after the uprisings which spiraled into violence against the Christian-majority Kuki and Naga ethnic groups broke out, but the footage only surfaced on the web (Wednesday, 19th July). Although reports have not confirmed that the women were Christian, they belong to the Kuki ethnic group. Last week, senior BJP politician R Vanramchhuanga resigned over his party’s failure to condemn violence against Christians. In his resignation letter, dated 13th July, Vanramchhuanga wrote that even though 357 churches and other buildings belonging to Christian organizations had been destroyed by Meitei militants in Manipur that BJP leaders from local and national governments had not spoken out against the targeting of Christians. Christians belonging to the Meitei ethnic group were also targeted during the attacks. The vicious persecution in India’s Manipur state – where hundreds of churches have been destroyed – has entered a new stage as a video showing women being paraded naked went viral. Vanramchhuanga,
US Official Calls Religious Intolerance in India ‘Frightening’
washington — Religious discrimination in India, the world's largest democracy, has reached a "frightening" level, and some experts warn that the country must change its course or face targeted sanctions from the U.S. government. "India has done better in the past and has to change course because the cycle of downward spiral in a country of that importance and the number of people who are involved. It is quite frightening," Rabbi Abraham Cooper, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, or USCIRF, told lawmakers on Tuesday. "Religious discrimination should not be a matter of national pride," he said. The USCIRF has recommended that India, along with Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria and Vietnam, be added to the U.S. government's list of Countries of Particular Concern, or CPC, because of the worsening limits on religious freedom in these countries. It also has called for targeted economic and travel sanctions against Indian government agencies and officials that are allegedly involved in violation of religious freedom. The scathing criticism comes only weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House and addressed a joint session of Congress. In 2005, the U.S. State Department revoked Modi's tourist/business visa because of his alleged role in religious and communal violence in
At least 400 acts of violence committed against Christians in India in first half of 2023: report
The first half of 2023 has seen a surge in violence against Christians across 23 states in India, according to a New Delhi-based human rights group, which identified 400 incidents, up from 274 reported over the same period last year. The majority of these violent acts occurred in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, with 155 incidents, according to the report released by the United Christian Forum and shared with The Christian Post. Chhattisgarh ranked second with 84 cases, followed by Jharkhand with 35, and Haryana with 32. The districts of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh and Bastar in Chhattisgarh reported the most cases of violence, with 13 and 31 incidents, respectively. According to UCF’s findings, the number of violent incidents against Christians has been rising steadily in India since 2014, with a significant spike observed in 2021 and 2022. The group also noted in its statement that the month of June saw the highest number of attacks against the Christian community, averaging three incidents per day. The UCF expressed grave concerns over the situation in the northeastern state of Manipur, where the ongoing violence has resulted in the loss of at least 130 lives and caused the destruction of over 400 churches. Amid these atrocities, the
Majority Hindu Tribe in India’s Manipur Blockades Christian Tribes to Starve Them Out
The Times of India (TOI) reported on Monday that a blockade on food and medical supplies by the valley-dwelling Hindu majority of the Manipur province is starving the hill-dwelling Kuki Christian tribes, thousands of whom have been displaced from their homes into refugee camps. Manipur has been torn by violent ethnic conflict since May when the Meitei launched a petition to acquire the same preferences in employment and land ownership that are extended to the Kuki and other minority groups in the province. This enraged the tribal residents as the Meitei are much larger and better off than other ethnic groups, and they occupy most of the good lowlands in Manipur. Ethnic grievances erupted into violent assault and vandalism, and Manipur became a hot topic in Indian politics as opposition leaders accused the ruling BJP party of not doing enough to restore peace, perhaps because BJP has a Hindu nationalist platform and favors the Meitei villagers. The Kukis and Meiteis both created highway blockades to deprive each other of resources, a tactic that has been used in previous ethnic clashes because there are few good roads leading into the rough terrain of Manipur. Blockades during a Kuki-Meitei struggle in 2011 effectively cut the
Catholic leaders say ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Christians unfolding in Indian state
MUMBAI – Prayers and protest marches by India’s small but socially influential Catholic community were staged across the country July 2 in response to ongoing violence against Christians in the country’s northeastern state of Manipur. Called by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, the protests highlighted that more than 100 people, largely Christians, have been killed so far in Manipur, with the carnage unfolding just ahead of the August anniversary of an anti-Christian pogrom in 2008 in the state of Orissa. The conflict pits the largely Hindu Meitei ethnic group against the mostly Protestant Christian Kuki people, each of which represents roughly forty percent of the state’s population of four million, but the Meitei enjoy the support of regional and national political forces dominated by the Hindu nationalist BJP party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since the violence began on May 3, estimates are that some 50,000 displaced persons are now living in 300 refugee camps, though with larger numbers expelled from their homes and villages who haven’t moved to any formal settlements. Over 5,000 structures, including churches and private Christian homes, have been burned, and some local observers claim that as many as 120 people have died. A June 22 message from
India: Bangalore Church Vandalized, Altar Destroyed
According to local sources, the Altar, a Bible and a Holy relic were destroyed in a fresh vandalism attack that has shaken the local Catholic community. Newsroom (June 21, 2023 1:14 PM Gaudium Press) – Kammanahalli is a suburb located in the north-eastern part of the city of Bangalore. The locality is a bustling cosmopolitan neighborhood with retail shops, residential areas, eateries, pubs, bars, and activities. Last night, at approximately 3AM local time, St Pius X Church was attacked and vandalized. According to local sources, the Altar, a Bible and a Holy relic were destroyed in a fresh vandalism attack that has shaken the local Catholic community. Meanwhile, reports indicate Police has arrested a Hindi speaking man as a possible perpetrator of the sacrilegious assault. a few hours after the incident, Most Rev. Peter Machado. Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangalore visited the Church to be with the community and support them in the aftermath of the attack. A police investigation continues as the attack is perceived by international observers as part of an orchestrated campaign to terrorize the local christian communities. This article was published on www.gaudiumpress.ca
Tamil Nadu: AICCC condemns attack on Manipur Churches, holds massive protest in support of Christians
The All India Christian Churches Council (AICCC), on Sunday, held a massive protest at the Chennai Collector Office in Parrys, Chennai, to take security measures to protect churches that were attacked in the Manipur violence. The All India Christian Churches Council (AICCC), on Sunday, held a massive protest at the Chennai Collector Office in Parrys, Chennai, to take security measures to protect Churches that were attacked in the Manipur violence. National President-Founder of the AICCC, Bishop B Mohandas headed the protest. Additionally, Christian Community National High-level leaders based in the Taluk district of Tamil Nadu along with the circle community members participated in the protest wearing black clothes. More than 400 members of various Christian organisations participated in the protest holding a board that said, "Save Manipur Christians and Churches". "We Christian community peoples gathered here to condemn the current situation in Manipur in support of our community peoples. Central Government should take necessary action immediately to save the Christian peoples", said Winson, AICCC President, South Chennai. Adding further, Winson said, "It has been more than 5 weeks since prayers were offered at the churches in Manipur. They are closed and some of them have been damaged". Additionally, the AICCC president urged the
Church in India to observe a national day of prayer for peace in Manipur
As sectarian violence continues in Manipur, the Catholic bishops of India call for a special day of prayer for peace in the riot-hit Indian state. By Lisa Zengarini The Catholic Church of India has called for a national day of prayer on Sunday, July 2, to end the ongoing sectarian violence in Manipur. Over 100 dead and 50,000 displaced by ongoing violence The violence erupted in the north-eastern Indian state on May 3, when Hindu-majority Meitei people, who control the local political power and represent or 53 percent of its population, attacked a demonstration of Kuki tribals, who are mainly Christians, protesting against a court proposal to extend the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei. The special status grants priority in government jobs, education, and other affirmative programs meant for the indigenous people, such as the Kuki. Nearly two months since the outbreak of the violence, which so far has claimed over 100 lives and displaced more than 50,000 people, mostly Kuki Christians, unrest hasn’t yet subsided. This has been confirmed in recent days by Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal, in a letter addressed to Indian bishops updating them on the latest developments. According to the prelate, clashes continue unabated, notably in the outlying areas of
