Christians demand direct federal control amid deadly violence in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Indigenous Kuki-Zo Christians in India’s northeastern Manipur state have demanded the restoration of direct federal rule after 32 members of their community were killed following the return of a Hindu nationalist-led state government, raising fresh concerns over the safety of religious and ethnic minorities in the conflict-hit region.

According to UCA News, a Catholic news agency covering Asia, Kuki-Zo community leaders say violence has intensified since the federal government ended direct administration in February and restored an elected coalition government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The community has called for the reimposition of President’s Rule, an Indian constitutional provision allowing the federal government to temporarily take direct control of a state when its elected administration cannot function according to constitutional requirements.

Federal authorities initially imposed the measure in February 2025 after the resignation of then-Chief Minister N. Biren Singh amid widespread ethnic violence and criticism of his government’s failure to restore peace.

Kuki-Zo Council spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said no civilians from his community had been killed during the period of direct federal administration.

He urged Modi’s government to restore the arrangement to protect the safety, security and dignity of Kuki-Zo Christians.

The Kuki-Zo Women’s Forum said 12 of the 32 community members killed since the restoration of elected government were women, including two pregnant women.

The organization also reported that approximately 55 houses across 14 Kuki-Zo villages had been burned during the renewed violence.

It blamed armed groups associated with the indigenous Naga community for attacks on Kuki-Zo settlements, although Naga representatives have rejected accusations against their community.

The latest violence has deepened tensions between Kuki-Zo and Naga groups, both of which are predominantly Christian indigenous communities.

According to community accounts, 64 people from the two communities have been killed in the conflict, with each side reporting 32 deaths.

The violence has also disrupted essential supplies in Kuki-Zo areas, causing sharp increases in food, fuel and medicine prices.

Community leaders said gasoline prices had more than doubled, while cooking gas cylinders were selling for nearly five times their usual price in some areas.

Kuki-Zo representatives have renewed demands for a separate self-governing territory with its own elected legislature, arguing that existing administrative arrangements have failed to protect their communities.

However, Naga leaders have called for renewed dialogue rather than a return to direct federal administration.

United Naga Council president Ng Lorho said restoring peace should remain the priority and expressed willingness to resume negotiations with Kuki-Zo representatives.

Previous peace efforts suffered a major setback when three senior Kuki church leaders, including a prominent peace negotiator, were killed in an ambush.

Manipur has experienced prolonged ethnic violence since May 2023, when clashes erupted between the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and the largely Christian Kuki-Zo population.

The conflict has displaced thousands of people, destroyed homes and religious institutions, and deepened divisions among communities that previously lived across the state.