Three pastors from the Kuki community were shot dead and four others injured in an attack in India’s northeastern state of Manipur on Wednesday, according to police and state officials, amid continuing ethnic unrest in the region.
The killings mark the latest episode of violence in Manipur, where tensions between the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki minority have fuelled repeated clashes over the past three years. More than 250 people have reportedly been killed since the conflict began.
Police said the identities of the attackers had not yet been established. A senior police official confirmed that the victims were Kuki pastors and said investigations were underway to determine who carried out the assault.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the incident, describing it as a “dastardly terror act” that claimed the lives of innocent civilians.
Kuki organisations alleged that the attack may have been linked to an armed faction believed to represent the interests of the Naga community, another major ethnic group in the state. Although both the Kuki and Naga communities are largely Christian, relations between them have deteriorated in recent months, raising concerns over a broader expansion of ethnic tensions in the region.
The Kuki Inpi strongly condemned the killings, calling the attack “barbaric”.
The Nagas and Kukis have long-standing disputes over territorial and ethnic claims in the hill areas of Manipur. Similar tensions in 1993 escalated into large-scale ethnic violence that left hundreds dead and displaced numerous communities.