Six Naga Christians, Including Two Pastors, Found Dead in Manipur as Ethnic Violence Deepens

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Six Naga Christian men taken hostage in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, including two pastors, were found dead on June 10, with their remains reportedly mutilated, deepening fears that the region’s long-running ethnic conflict is spiraling into another deadly cycle of revenge.

The victims were identified as Rev. Dr. Manu Thiumai, pastor of Leimakhong Baptist Church; his brother Dilip Thiumai; Pastor Kenpibou Chawang; Phenrongwi Thiumai; Kaliwangbou Abonmai; and Ch. Phenrilung. More than a week after their bodies were recovered near Leilon Vaiphei, their remains had still not been released to their families, as Naga leaders pressed authorities for action.

The six men were abducted on May 13 after three Baptist pastors — Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, Pastor Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou — were shot dead in an ambush while returning from a peace conference in Churachandpur. Their deaths triggered retaliatory hostage-taking across Kangpokpi and Senapati districts, with police saying 48 civilians were seized in all.

Twenty-eight hostages, including women and a child from Konsakhul village, were released within two days. Fourteen Kuki-Zo civilians were later freed on June 9 after nearly a month in captivity. But the following day, security forces recovered the bodies of the six missing Naga men, crushing hopes among church leaders who had spent weeks appealing for their safe return.

Manipur has been torn by violence since May 2023, primarily between the mostly Hindu Meitei community in the central valley and the predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo tribes in the surrounding hills. The Naga, another largely Christian tribal community, live mainly in the northern hill districts. More than 300 churches have reportedly been destroyed since the conflict began, and tens of thousands remain displaced.

Christian leaders across India and the wider Baptist community condemned the killings and called for an impartial investigation. The Evangelical Fellowship of India said “hope has now turned to grief,” while the National Council of Churches in India said such brutality has “no place in any civilized society, particularly in a predominantly Christian region.”

The Manipur Baptist Convention said the alleged mutilation of the bodies was a “gross violation of the God-given dignity and sanctity of human life.” The Baptist World Alliance, the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India, and other Christian bodies urged authorities to pursue justice while pleading with both communities to reject further retaliation.

The United Naga Council has refused to accept the remains until its demands are addressed, accusing a Kuki armed faction of carrying out the killings and calling for the group to be declared a terrorist organization. Kuki leaders have denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, the violence has continued to spread. Additional killings, disputed security operations, hospital protests, and the dismantling of illegal bunkers have kept Manipur on edge, even as families wait to bury their dead.

Latest Worthy News