Priests' kidnap as sectarian tensions reignites in Manipur

On 13 May, two Salesian priests, Fr Albert Panmei Aching and Fr Peter Poji Küvisie, were abducted and later released after 24 hours in captivity. The provincial expressed his relief and thanked all those who helped secure the release of his confreres.

Delhi (AsiaNews) - The lightning-fast abduction of two priests has turned the spotlight back on Manipur, the state in north-eastern India which for three years has been the scene of serious ethnic and religious violence that has also affected the Christian community, as seen in recent days with the death of three Baptist clergymen.

Local sources tell AsiaNews that two Salesian priests, Fr Albert Panmei Aching and Fr Peter Poji Küvisie, were abducted and then released after 24 hours in captivity. A further 14 Naga hostages, including 11 women and a child, were released. The fate of six men remains unknown.

The two priests were abducted at around 9 pm on 13 May, whilst travelling from the Don Bosco complex in Imphal, the capital of Manipur, to the Salesian centre in Maram, some 20 kilometres away. After a night and a day of tension and fear within the Christian community, the two young priests were released on the evening of 14 May.

Christian leaders in the area were immediately relieved, having feared for several hours that the incident would end tragically; on the same day, in fact, three Baptist clergymen and their driver had been killed in what is believed to have been an ambush in the district of Kangpokpi. Fr Joseph Pampackal SDB, Provincial of the Salesians in Dimapur, expressed gratitude on behalf of the Christian community to all those who worked for the release of his confreres, while praising “the coordinated efforts of civil society organisations, religious leaders, community elders and law enforcement agencies”. “Their intervention,” the priest added in a statement, “contributed to a peaceful resolution of this incident.”

Fr Pampackal thanked members of the Kuki community who ensured the safety of the two Salesians during their captivity, describing it as “a testimony to reconciliation and mutual respect even in difficult circumstances”. The priest then reiterated “the Salesians’ commitment to peacebuilding, dialogue and service in the region”, reaffirming the order’s “mission” to “serve the people with faith, courage and compassion even in difficult circumstances”.

Meanwhile, security sources report that a further 14 Naga hostages, including 11 women and a child from the village of Konsakhul Naga, have been released in the village of Makhan. The fate of six other Naga men, however, remains shrouded in mystery, as they are still being held captive, as confirmed by the police, who have launched an investigation.

Finally, on the evening of 14 May, three people, including an 18-year-old woman from the Kuki community, were handed over to police teams in Senapati district, another officer said.

“We were blindfolded and our hands were tied. We did not know the exact locations to which we had been taken. I could sense that we had been taken to hilly areas. No one attacked us,” said a woman who was released in the Kangpokpi district.

Violence in Manipur flared up in May three years ago and has since flared up periodically. Since the clashes between the different ethnic groups broke out, hundreds of people have been killed, whilst around 50,000 have been internally displaced: the Kuki, a predominantly Christian group who traditionally inhabit the hill areas, have left their homes, as have the Meitei, a predominantly Hindu group who mainly occupy the Imphal Valley but have abandoned the districts with a Kuki majority.

• India
• Manipur
• Christians
• sectarian violence
• religious freedom