Two years after the violence, Manipur State is still shattered and divided. Peace and harmony are distant dreams. The displaced remain scattered and homeless, unsure if they can ever return to their villages again.
“[My] family hid in my parents’ room, while a maniacal mob laid chaos outside our gate for the second time that night,” recalls Neinu*, a Christian from Manipur State in northeastern India. “We prayed on our knees as a family, asking for an easy end if the worst-case scenario happened. What if [the mob] actually managed to break in? What if something had happened to us?”
Lalboi* another believer says, “May 3, 2023, came and went but has never left our hearts and is still the longest night of our lives. [But what] hurt the most was not the pain of losing everything; [it was] seeing our parents aging years in the span of one night and not having the means to stop it.”
Both Neinu and Lalboi are still dealing with the impact of the riots that swept through Manipur State in May 2023. The violence between the Kuki tribal group (a majority-Christian ethnic community and a minority population in Manipur), and the Meitei people (a majority Hindu and the most populous group in Manipur State), left thousands displaced, hundreds dead, villages and houses destroyed, and hundreds of churches looted and burned.
Living From Hope to Hope
Lalboi’s house in the city was home to four generations, and his family was involved in helping the most marginalised in society. But this all changed with the riots.
His home is now occupied by other displaced people who are supported by an extremist group. He has no idea when or if he and his family can ever return home.
Meanwhile, persecution against Christian converts from the Hindu Meitei community continues. They’re barred from prayer fellowships, even in their own homes, and stripped of social privileges. Kuki believers can still worship freely, but their safety remains tentative in the face of open hatred for Christians.
Neinu, Lalboi, and other displaced believers cling to the hope of Jesus.
“The struggles we’ve faced remind us that there is purpose in His calling,” Lalboi says. “It may not be of the world or how we imagined it to be, but we are valued in His sight, and that is enough to restore our strength. At our home, there is a [piece of decor] which reads, ‘Call to me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know,’ Jeremiah 33:3. This has been our family’s guiding light.”
*Names changed for security purposes.
Pray for India
- For the spiritual, psychological, and physical healing of all those affected by the riots.
- For those displaced, that God will provide for all their needs.
- For persecuted Christian converts from the Meitei community, for their protection and freedom.
Stay updated with the latest prayer requests from the persecuted church.
