Two mass burials have taken place in Manipur, north east India, as 122 Christian victims of the religious and ethnic violence in that state were laid to rest.
The solemn event resulted from a directive from the Indian Supreme Court, instructing Manipur state government to oversee respectful and dignified burials for those killed in the ongoing violence between the mainly Hindu Meitei tribe and those from the Kuki-Zo tribe, who are predominantly Christian.
The Indian authorities have been unable to quell the unrest, as the staggering death toll continues to mount, and Christians continue to endure frequent attacks. Many have fled to overcrowded relief camps, which now hold over 50,000 displaced people. Many fear to return to their homes and are urging the Indian Government to allocate them new areas of land, so they may rebuild their lives.
Rev. Dr. Satkhokai Chongloi, Principal of Restoration Theological College and Assistant Executive Secretary of Kuki Christian Church, Manipur Synod, highlighted the growing concern that some Indian authorities might be complicit in supporting Hindutva (Hindu Nationalists) attacks on local Christian communities.
In a separate development, persecuted church agency Release International says that almost 400 Christians have now been arrested in the state of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly seeking to convert Hindus by force. Most are Protestant pastors and church members. Such anti-conversion laws, which in practise prevent Christians from sharing their faith, even though their right to do so is enshrined in the constitution, have now been passed in 12 of India’s 28 states.
