Tribal leaders in the Indian state of Manipur have appealed to the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, saying that they need international assistance if 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 are now 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 in 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 government is fully aware of the situation but has so far done nothing.
"We need the world to see us, hear us, and help us survive. For nearly two years, thousands 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 loved ones 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 prominent Christian leaders from Manipur, one truth is heartbreakingly clear: they are 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 remains silent, and the former 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 action to protect and provide for the persecuted tribal group.
