"A Tragedy": Evangelical Fellowship India Responds to the Killing of Three Pastors

The Evangelical Fellowship of India has described the killing of three Baptist leaders in Manipur as "deeply disturbing and tragic" after they were shot in an ambush on May 13 in Kangpokpi district.

According to EFI, the victims were returning from a United Baptist Convention gathering in Churachandpur when they were attacked. The three men were identified as Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, Pastor Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou, all leaders connected to the Thadou Baptist Association India.

EFI also said several other Christian leaders were injured in the attack. In its statement, the organization urged regional authorities to provide immediate medical care to the wounded, protect affected communities, and carry out a thorough and impartial investigation so those responsible can be brought to justice.

Calling on churches across India to pray for "comfort, healing, peace, and wisdom," EFI closed its statement with Psalm 34:18: "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

A Community Already Under Pressure

The killings come against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis in Manipur, where ethnic violence has raged since May 2023 between the mostly Hindu Meitei community and the mostly Christian Kuki community. The three victims in the Kangpokpi ambush belonged to the Kuki community.

The violence intensified after a controversial court-linked push to extend Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis, a move that would have given the majority community greater access to government jobs, education quotas, and land protections historically tied to tribal groups such as the Kukis.

According to multiple reports, the conflict has already killed more than 250 people and displaced more than 60,000 others.

In its statement, EFI said the killings inflict "fresh wounds on communities already under immense pressure" and called the tragedy especially painful for the churches of northeast India, where communities bound by a shared faith continue to carry the scars of prolonged conflict and division.

Archbishop Linus Neli of Imphal also strongly condemned the killings, describing the act as atrocious and pointing to the immense distress, suffering, and uncertainty already weighing on Manipur.