THREE church leaders were killed and four others injured in an attack by suspected militants in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Wednesday, police said. The incident happened at a place between Kotzim and Kotlen villages when members of the Thadou Baptist Association (TBA) were returning from Churachandpur after attending a religious congregation. Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh condemned the incident, stating that such “senseless acts of violence” against innocent civilians threaten peace in Manipur which has been rocked by ethnic violence since 2023.

 

Following the killings, a total shutdown was imposed in Kangpokpi district where Kukis are in the majority. A forum of Naga legislators and a Kuki organisation also deplored the killings, while a Meitei group rejected allegations from some quarters that it was behind the ambush. Police said suspected militants ambushed the two vehicles in which the church leaders were travelling. Among those killed was Reverend V Sitlhour, a former General Secretary of the Manipur Baptist Convention. The other two deceased were identified as Reverend Kaigoulen and Pastor Paogoulen, they said.