Sacred spaces across Manipur have been reduced to ruins, with PUCL documenting chilling accounts of destruction and targeted religious desecration. Drawing from the PUCL’s findings, this first part of a two-part series traces the desecration of Manipur’s sacred spaces—where faith and identity came under attack with fire and fury.”
BY PC Bureau
August 30, 2025: The violence in Manipur, while often framed as an ethnic confrontation between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, has also revealed a stark religious undercurrent. Nowhere is this more evident than in the systematic destruction and desecration of sacred places of worship. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Independent People’s Tribunal on the Ongoing Ethnic Conflict in Manipur highlighted this pattern, noting that the targeting of religious sites was not incidental but a recurring and deliberate feature of the unrest.
According to the Tribunal, the desecration of places of worship underscores not only ethnic hostility but also simmering religious animosity that has deepened mistrust between communities. Yet, this interpretation remains contested.
A Meitei scholar and author, who testified before the Tribunal via video conference, rejected the notion that the violence was fundamentally religious in nature. He argued:
“The conflict in Manipur is not between Hindus and Christians. The Nagas, who are predominantly Christian, are not involved in this conflict. Some public representations have been misleading — for example, a claim that no churches remained in Imphal. This is false, as many churches are still standing.”
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However, a large body of evidence and testimonies gathered by the Tribunal points to systematic attacks on religious places of worship. Particularly vulnerable were the Meitei Christians, a small community ethnically Meitei but religiously Christian, who testified to being targeted by both sides.
Testimonies from Meitei Christians
The Tribunal met with representatives of the Meitei Christian community in Imphal on 30 May 2024. They recounted the destruction that began on the night of 3 May 2023:
- Churches in Imphal and Bishnupur were among the first to be attacked.
- Police reportedly told victims that “individuals will not be attacked, only churches.”
- Between 4 and 5 May, more than 100 churches were destroyed, with Bishnupur alone accounting for over 90.
- By 9 May, the wave of destruction had spread across districts.
In total, 249 churches were destroyed..
One testimony stated: “In the first five days, 90% of Meitei churches were destroyed. Complaints were filed but no names were given. A pastor who lodged a complaint was threatened into withdrawing it. In the larger picture, groups like Arambai Tenggol were identified, though difficult to prove legally.”
Targeting Meitei Christians
The testimonies revealed the acute vulnerability of Meitei Christians:
- They were accused by their Meitei co-ethnics of being “informers for the Kukis” due to their shared faith.
- Many destroyed churches had been sponsored by Kuki Christian communions, while churches backed by Naga communions were spared — suggesting careful selection and prior intelligence.
- A narrative circulated that the Meitei Christian population had “exceeded” that of the Sanamahi Meiteis, fuelling targeted suspicion.
One pastor explained:
“We heard that the attack on Christians was pre-planned. Leaders had been collecting information about churches for a long time. Even old videos of pastors were circulated on social media, edited to look as though they insulted Meitei culture, further inciting violence.”
The Tribunal also heard that ghar-wapsi (reconversion) campaigns were enforced more harshly on Christians than on Hindus. Testimonies referred to families being forced to burn Bibles, sign affidavits, and publicly renounce their faith in order to return to Sanamahi worship.
Opinion | With or Without PUCL, Manipur’s Ethnic Divide Is Real https://t.co/PE22YSXiQI #ManipurCrisis #EthnicDivide #MeiteiKukiConflict#SocialMediaWar #BufferZoneReality #TruthBeyondPUCL
— POWER CORRIDORS (@power_corridors) August 29, 2025
Evidence of Desecration Beyond Churches
The desecration was not confined to Christian places of worship. A senior Meitei IAS officer (IGD16) testified that:
- The Shiv temple in Kangpokpi was desecrated on 3 May.
- In another temple at Ingourak, a shrine with both Shiv and Buddha idols was attacked.
- The temple purohit narrowly escaped with his life.
This reflects the Tribunal’s conclusion that the violence was aimed broadly at symbols of faith and identity, and not restricted to one community.
Religious Dimensions of the Conflict
The Tribunal examined the deeper religious undertones shaping the conflict and highlighted how identity and faith have become intertwined with violence. Many Meiteis are returning to Sanamahism, the indigenous faith of the valley, which is distinct from Hinduism but often linked to it. Both Sanamahism and Hinduism share a polytheistic worldview, setting them apart from Christianity, which is monotheistic and has increasingly been perceived as a cultural and political threat. Christianity, in particular, emerged as a major fault line: Meitei Christians found themselves doubly alienated — rejected by their fellow Meiteis for abandoning traditional practices, and distrusted by Kukis because of their ethnicity.
Testimonies revealed that this hostility went beyond social stigma. Several witnesses stated that Meitei Christian politicians were pressured to reconvert to Sanamahism. The Tribunal heard accounts connecting BJP leaders and local radical outfits such as Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun with campaigns to re-assimilate Christians into the Sanamahi fold.
A Meitei human rights lawyer captured the gravity of the situation in stark terms:
“This is not the kind of violence Manipur has seen before. In two days, nearly 300 churches were dismantled. Naga churches were spared. The precision shows planning. Many Meitei Christians were forced to dismantle their own churches. There is an ethnic overtone, but undeniably a religious element too.”
Radical Groups and Political Links
The Tribunal further noted the rise of radical Sanamahi revivalist organizations that have gained significant influence in recent years. Groups like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun were repeatedly mentioned in testimonies as visible actors in mobilizing mobs and fueling violence. Their leadership links them to political and ideological networks: Sanajaoba, a BJP Member of Parliament, and Pramot Singh, a former member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), were both identified as figures connected to these movements.
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While some witnesses rejected the idea of a direct RSS hand in the unrest, others suggested that these revivalist forces worked in close coordination with Hindu nationalist elements. According to this line of testimony, the violence was not only about ethnic conflict but was also tied to a larger project: folding Sanamahi practices into the umbrella of Sanatan Dharm.
The Tribunal concluded that the desecration of places of worship cannot be treated as isolated incidents of mob anger. Instead, they are inseparable from the broader religious revivalist and nationalist currents shaping Manipur’s political landscape.
Findings
- Scale of destruction: At least 249 churches were destroyed, in addition to Sanamahi shrines and Hindu temples in Kuki-dominated areas.
- Pattern and planning: The selection of churches based on communion affiliation points to deliberate planning.
- Double persecution of Meitei Christians: They were uniquely vulnerable, attacked both for their ethnicity and religion.
- State inaction: Law enforcement failed to protect religious institutions, and complaints were silenced through threats.
- Role of radical outfits: Groups such as Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun were central actors in mobilizing attacks on sacred sites.
The Tribunal finds that the desecration of places of worship in Manipur represents one of the most serious dimensions of the violence. The destruction was not incidental but systematic, aimed at erasing religious identity and deepening the divide between communities. While the ethnic nature of the conflict is undeniable, the evidence clearly demonstrates that religion was weaponized, and sacred institutions became deliberate targets.
The erasure of temples, shrines, and churches has inflicted a wound that will take generations to heal, making reconciliation immeasurably more difficult.
(Wait for Part-2)
