By Don Aguiar
Mumbai, May 15, 2026: On May 13, in a chilling act of violence, three Baptist church leaders were ambushed and killed in Manipur, with four others critically injured.
The attack, targeting unarmed pastors and church workers, sent shockwaves through Christian communities across northeast India.
It was not an accident or an unfortunate encounter.
The victims were senior leaders from the Kuki Baptist community, known for their commitment to ministry, peacebuilding, and spiritual leadership.
They were reportedly traveling on a public road when they were ambushed, underscoring the vulnerability of civilians in a region already scarred by prolonged ethnic unrest.
These were not combatants or political figures. They were unarmed servants of God who labored tirelessly to build bridges of reconciliation between the Kuki and Tangkhul Naga communities. No grievance can justify the killing of religious leaders dedicated to reconciliation and service.
The attack comes against the backdrop of persistent ethnic tensions, where cycles of violence in recent years have claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands.
After three years of ethnic clashes, Manipur remains on edge, with fears that the conflict could spiral further.
Fragile State, entrenched divisions, vested interests
In more than three years, the conflict has touched every corner of the state, spilling into daily life.
In Tronglaobi village, where two children were killed in a bomb blast, farming families find their fields trapped in “buffer zones”—militarized areas off-limits to both valley-based Meiteis and hill-based Kuki-Zo communities.
The unresolved core issue lies in overlapping territorial claims rooted in nationalism and the modern nation-state. Rebel groups across communities cling to “maximalist claims,” producing maps that overlap and fuel endless disputes.
The window to resolve this crisis was at the beginning, before tensions hardened. A lack of sufficient government response has led to a de facto division of the state. Who, then, is giving Manipur the attention it requires?
The safety of Christian minorities and church leaders is alarming. Enhanced protection measures are urgently needed, not the constant grand tutorials from Delhi, which may benefit from keeping the state in disarray. The chaos also feeds a multimillion-dollar narcotics trade.
Manipur sits on the edge of the Golden Triangle, one of the world’s largest drug trafficking corridors spanning Myanmar and Southeast Asia. Heroin, opium, and methamphetamine flow through this region, fueling conspiracy theories and vested interests.
Some actors appear intent on keeping the conflict simmering—not at full scale, but just enough to maintain lawlessness and chaos.
Manipulation breeds distrust
Violence only deepens wounds, prolongs suffering, and weakens bonds that unite communities.
Across Manipur, ordinary people—many of whom do not view rival communities as enemies—yearn for peace, healing, and a return to normalcy. Renewed efforts toward dialogue and reconciliation are essential, lest unchecked violence deepen divisions further.
Policies shape governments, vision shapes nations, and leadership shapes history. But manipulation breeds distrust. What saddens most is not only the act itself but the applause that follows.
Autocracy is mistaken for intelligence, manipulation for patriotism, shortcuts for morality. That is when decay begins. Once government manipulation becomes acceptable at the highest levels, it trickles downward into ordinary relationships, eroding trust brick by brick.
Don Aguiar is the former Maharashtra state president of the All-India Catholic Association and served as secretary general of the Bombay Catholic Sabha. He writes on the intersection of global affairs and Catholic faith, offering reflections that connect contemporary events with a faith-informed perspective.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Matters India.