The Church leaders in Churachandpur town on Thursday hosted street prayers to foster “peace between brothers” to restore normality in the Manipur town, in the throes of fresh unrest.
The town, with most people from the Kuki-Zo community, was rocked by clashes between the Hmar and Zomi tribes on Tuesday night, with efforts to ease tensions intensifying.
The street prayers by the pastors on Thursday followed a night of joint vigil by
women from various tribes at multiple locations in the town. Pastors from various tribes and church denominations held at least four prayer meetings between 1.30pm and 3.45pm “in vulnerable localities of the town to remove misunderstanding between brothers”, a church leader told The Telegraph.
Besides praying for peace, the pastors formed human chains, held hands and marched through the streets to convey a message of unity and brotherhood and denounce violence in any form.
Lalropui Pakhumate, 53, from the Hmar tribe, lost his life and several were injured during Tuesday’s clashes which prompted security forces to fire tear gas shells and blanks to disperse the mob. The trigger for Tuesday’s clashes was the hoisting of a Zomi flag, a move opposed by the Hmars.
The Churachandpur flare-up came amid the ongoing conflict between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zos which has left over 260 dead and 60,000 displaced since May 3, 2023. Manipur is currently under Central rule with its Assembly in suspended animation.
A church leader said that besides increased security and a curfew, community leaders also “imposed curfew in their own villages and localities” and all the mother associations of different communities had pledged to together guard the streets at night.
“It is a local issue, a misunderstanding between brothers. We hope the situation will improve,” he said.
The district administration relaxed the curfew till 4.30pm on Thursday but only a few shops and business establishments opened, a resident said.