Woman stripped and raped in Manipur speaks: Police were with the mob, they left us with those men
'The police were there with the mob which was attacking our village. The police picked us up from near home, and took us a little away from the village and left us on the road with the mob. We were given to them by police.' A day after a video of two women from the Kuki-Zomi community being paraded naked and sexually assaulted in Manipur surfaced, one of the victims told The Indian Express that they had been “left to the mob by the police”. Two women, one in her 20s and the other in her 40s, can be seen being made to walk naked down a road and towards a field by a mob of men. Some of the men can be seen dragging the two women towards a field and forcibly groping them. In a police complaint that was filed on May 18, the victims had also alleged that the younger woman was “brutally gang raped in the broad daylight”. In the complaint, they had said that they had fled to a forest for shelter after their village in Kangpokpi district, was attacked by a mob and that they were later rescued by Thoubal police and were being taken to the
Meitei Christians find themselves in crossfire of Manipur clashes, call for reconciliation
Philem Rohan Singh, known for his bicycle and motorcycle expeditions across India for numerous social causes since 2018, has one question. “Why am I called Judas Iscariot?” Singh is a Meitei who lives in Imphal. He is also a member of the Ministry of Reconciliation — an independent Church. On his bicycle earlier, and on his electric motorcycle now, he has been flying two flags: the Indian Tricolour and the Salai Taret, which represents the seven clans of the ancient Kangleipak, the old name for Manipur. At least 142 people have been killed and more than 60,000 have been displaced in clashes between the mostly Christian Kuki tribals and the largely Hindu Meiteis since May 3. Pro-Meitei groups have flown the Salai Taret as their banner during these clashes. Singh’s co-religionists from the Kuki community, he says, now liken him to Christ’s disciple Judas who betrayed him to the Jewish clergy. The slur is testimony to how deep and complex the faultlines in Manipur are. “For the charity work I have done, Kukis have contributed lakhs of rupees. I have also given humanitarian assistance to Kuki refugees from Myanmar,” Rohan said. “Two years ago in Moreh, a large number of refugees arrived in a very bad state fleeing
Meitei Christians find themselves in crossfire of Manipur clashes, call for reconciliation
Philem Rohan Singh, known for his bicycle and motorcycle expeditions across India for numerous social causes since 2018, has one question. “Why am I called Judas Iscariot?” Singh is a Meitei who lives in Imphal. He is also a member of the Ministry of Reconciliation — an independent Church. On his bicycle earlier, and on his electric motorcycle now, he has been flying two flags: the Indian Tricolour and the Salai Taret, which represents the seven clans of the ancient Kangleipak, the old name for Manipur. At least 142 people have been killed and more than 60,000 have been displaced in clashes between the mostly Christian Kuki tribals and the largely Hindu Meiteis since May 3. Pro-Meitei groups have flown the Salai Taret as their banner during these clashes. Singh’s co-religionists from the Kuki community, he says, now liken him to Christ’s disciple Judas who betrayed him to the Jewish clergy. The slur is testimony to how deep and complex the faultlines in Manipur are. “For the charity work I have done, Kukis have contributed lakhs of rupees. I have also given humanitarian assistance to Kuki refugees from Myanmar,” Rohan said. “Two years ago in Moreh, a large number of refugees arrived in a very bad state fleeing
Tribal Christian Is Beheaded, 3 Are Shot Dead in Manipur, India
India's Supreme Court has called on the government in the northeastern state of Manipur to provide an updated status report on the situation in the region after a tribal Christian was beheaded and three others were shot dead. On Sunday, a man identified as David Thiek was beheaded in Langza, a tribal village in the district of Churachandpur, home to Kuki-Zo tribes, as reported by First Post. One resident told the outlet that Thiek was one of several village volunteers who protected the village from looters as other residents fled from danger. In addition to Thiek's death, three others, identified as 34-year-old Ningombam Ibomcha, 26-year-old Naorem Rajkumar and 44-year-old Haobam Ibocha, were fatally shot in Manipur's Bishnupur district at the border with the hill district of Churachandpur. The news comes amid an ongoing conflict between the majority Hindu Meiteis and Kuki-Zomi tribes that began on May 3. So far, at least 137 people have been killed in the conflict, The Christian Post reports. India's Supreme Court is considering two petitions regarding the violence. One petition was filed by Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi and seeks protection for the majority Christian Kuki tribe by the Indian army. The second petition seeks to challenge a High Court directive to
Manipur violence: Cannot back down during peace offensive, says Kuki leader whose home was torched after decision to lift highway blockade
Seilen Haokip's home was set on fire a day after the KNO and the United People's Front announced that the blockade on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi district will be lifted. Seilen Haokip told The Indian Express that the incident took place around 11-11:30 pm and that no one was home at that time. The home of Kuki National Organisation (KNO) spokesperson Seilen Haokip was set on fire in Manipur’s Churachandpur on Monday night. This came a day after the KNO and the United People’s Front announced that the blockade on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi district will be lifted. Haokip’s house is located in Songpi in Churachandpur district. While there have been multiple instances of properties of Meitei representatives being torched by members of the Meitei community in parts of the valley, especially Imphal, this is the first prominent instance of a Kuki-Zomi leader’s residence being targeted in a Kuki-Zomi dominated area. Haokip told The Indian Express that the incident took place around 11-11:30 pm and that no one was home at that time. On Sunday, the KNO and UPF – both of which come under a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement – said that the decision to lift the highway blockage was taken
Manipur violence: Kuki National Organisation spokesperson’s house set on fire in Churachandpur
A house of a Kuki leader was set on fire in strife-torn Manipur as the state witnessed another wave of violence on Monday (July 3). The incident was part of a new spate of violence that occurred on Monday in the Kangpokpi area located under the Thingsat hill range. (File Photo) By India Today News Desk: The house of Kuki National Organisation spokesperson Seilen Haokip in Churachandpur’s Songpi was set on fire by some unknown miscreants on Monday (July 3). Selien Haokip was one of the leaders who had raised his voice for the lifting of the blockade on National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi. The incident was part of a new spate of violence that occurred on Monday in the Kangpokpi area located under the Thingsat hill range. According to sources, an exchange of gunfire was also witnessed in Phaileng village during the early hours of Monday, escalating the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in the strife-torn state. Meanwhile, expressing concern over the law and order situation in Manipur, the Supreme Court has sought a detailed status report from the state government on the measures taken to curb ethnic violence in the state. The Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and
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
Men from warrior Sikh sect attack church in India
A mob comprised of men dressed in the traditional attire of a Sikh warrior order stormed into a church, causing significant property damage and injuring numerous church members in India’s Punjab state. The assailants, who bore the distinct Nihang attire — blue robes, swords and spears — interrupted a peaceful gathering at the Sukhpal Rana Ministries Church in Rajewal village near Amritsar city in the Sikh-majority state, the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports. They brandished sticks, tore Bibles, vandalized vehicles parked outside and attacked the congregants, the group said, adding that following the initial assault, the situation escalated into a volatile confrontation, with both parties hurling stones. In response to the violent incident, the Christian community of Rajewal village protested, seeking justice and promising retaliation if immediate action wasn’t taken. They reportedly demanded charges of blasphemy against the attackers. A member of the Punjab Minority Commission reportedly visited the village to assess the situation, although subsequent action remains uncertain. The local police, including the police superintendent, visited the protest site and assured the congregation that a formal complaint had been filed and prompt action would be taken. The police have yet to confirm whether the assailants belong to the Nihang sect, who have subsequently denied
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
‘Orthodox Syrian Christian’ Community Of Udupi Calls To End Manipur Violence
Udupi: On the occasion of the Feast of St Thomas the Apostle of India, celebrated as “Indian Christian Day,” representatives of the Orthodox Syrian Christian Community in Udupi District, Karnataka, submitted a memorandum to the President of India and the Prime Minister through the Additional District Collector of Udupi District, Veena BN K.A.S. The memorandum highlights the disturbing rise in violent incidents in Manipur over the past few months, including armed clashes, acts of terrorism, extortion, targeted killings, and the destruction of religious places, particularly Christian churches. Furthermore, it draws attention to the displacement of over 50,000 people, with more than 200-300 religious centres being vandalized. This violence has had a severe impact on the social, economic, and cultural fabric of the state. We believe it is imperative to take immediate action to address this situation and restore peace in Manipur. Citing Article 355 of the Indian Constitution, which empowers the Union to protect states against internal disturbances and ensure the proper functioning of state governments. We earnestly appeal to the President and the Prime Minister to exercise their constitutional authority in this regard. It strongly urges the central government to deploy additional security forces to maintain law and order, establish a Peacekeeping Commission
