- At least 121 churches and church buildings of 15 denominations were torched or destroyed in Manipur
- Manipur Presbyterian Singlup alone lost 39 churches
- More than 70 people died and 30,000 were displaced
- The Archbishop of Imphal appealed for relief in cash and kind
At least 121 churches and church buildings belonging to 15 denominations were torched or destroyed in ethnic violence in the Indian state of Manipur, LiCAS.news reported on May 17, 2023, in a report by Jose Kavi of Matters India.
Manipur Presbyterian Singlup lost 39 churches, the Evangelical Churches Association and the Manipur Presbyterian Church Synod 14 each, and the Tuithaphai Presbyterian Church 13. The Evangelical Free Church of India lost nine and the Independent Church of India eight. The Evangelical Baptist Convention Church had five churches completely burnt and two partly burnt. The Catholic Church, the Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Organization Church lost three each.
More than 70 people were killed, 200 were wounded, 30,000 were displaced and 45,000 were living in relief camps. About 4,000 students were affected, including about 1,000 homeless students in Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts. Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal appealed for “relief materials in kind and cash to help the victims.”
The violence wiped out church buildings across many denominations in a matter of weeks.
The scale of loss in Manipur is far beyond anything Jamaica has faced, but it shows how quickly church property can be lost. Insurance, records of each building and a denominational fund for rebuilding give congregations a better chance of recovering when buildings are destroyed, whatever the cause.
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