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On Friday, May 15, a gathering of more than 200 Kuki community members, students, church officials, and supporters, convened at Secunderabad’s Centenary Baptist Church to pay tribute to three prominent Kuki church leaders from Manipur who were ambushed and killed during the Manipur conflict.
The memorial, organised by the Kuki Students' Organisation-Hyderabad (KSO-H) included a candlelight vigil. Attendees lit candles, offered prayers, and shared heartfelt tributes for the church leaders, calling them “dedicated servants of god”. The speakers of the event strongly condemned the attack, accusing the ZUF-Kamson faction backed by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) of the “cowardly act” of targeting “innocent church leaders”.
The victims, Rev Vumthang Sitlhou, Pastor Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou were reportedly travelling back to Kangpokpi after attending the United Baptist Convention in Churachandpur, on Wednesday, May 13.
According to the police, armed men allegedly opened fire on the convoy carrying the church leaders at around 10 am near Saheibung Peak. The attack killed the three church leaders and injured four others.
The attack comes amidst a prolonged three-year conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo groups, further complicated by rising hostilities between the Kuki and Tangkhul Naga people that surfaced in Ukhrul district this February, following an altercation at Litan on February 7.
In a press release dated May 16, the KSO-H highlighted the efforts of Rev Sitlhou, who had previously served as the general secretary of the Manipur Baptist Convention. Sitlhou had hoped to resolve the Kuki-Naga tensions, even initiating a reconciliation meeting between the two communities in Kohima.
“These pastors were not just spiritual guides but beacons of hope in troubled times. Their senseless killing demands accountability … No community should live in fear of such targeted violence,” said Mangpi Haokip, vice president of KSO-H.
Mangpi told TNM that many media houses were choosing not to report on the situation in the Northeast, leading to various religious groups and student bodies taking up different forms of agitation and demonstrations across the country.
Mangpi asserted that the basic demand of the organisation was for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the case. “We want impartial investigation,” he said.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.
