Hindu mobs destroyed hundreds of Christian churches, houses in Manipur
Critics says Indian govt fueling serious religious persecution
Islamabad : Hindu mobs destroyed hundreds of Christian churches and houses in Manipur, while critics accused the Indian government of fueling serious religious persecution.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in the Manipur, India, ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023 between the Meitei (Hindu) and Kuki-Zo (Christian) communities, mobs destroyed or damaged hundreds of churches alongside thousands of homes.
Estimates for churches and religious structures vary, with Christian groups and eyewitness reports citing 200 to more than 360 churches burned or vandalized, including early claims of approximately 249 Meitei churches in the Imphal Valley within the first 36 hours and advocacy tallies exceeding 300 to 357 churches.
Official and broader tallies report 386 religious structures vandalized overall, including churches and temples, while unofficial and church sources often cite higher figures focused on Christian sites, with some reports stating that more than 317 churches were targeted.
Property destruction was extensive, with approximately 4,786 to 7,894 houses completely destroyed, thousands more partially damaged, and numerous villages burned.
Estimates of displaced persons range from approximately 58,000 to more than 70,000, with many survivors remaining in relief camps for prolonged periods.
Official figures place the death toll at approximately 217 to 258 people as of late 2024 and 2025, while earlier estimates during mid-2023 ranged from approximately 150 to 187 deaths.
Some Right to Information data also reported hundreds of additional deaths in relief camps from related causes and more than 1,000 people were injured during the violence.
Independent summaries and human rights organizations describe widespread arson targeting tribal, predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo settlements in contested hill and foothill areas, alongside attacks on some Meitei Christian sites.
The conflict is fundamentally ethnic, driven by disputes over land, resources, reservations, and political power between the Meitei and Kuki communities, but it also has a significant religious dimension because churches were widely targeted, although temples were also vandalized and some Meitei Christians were affected.
International watchdogs and United Nations experts have raised concerns over failures to protect minorities, sexual violence, mass displacement, and inadequate government response, describing a severe strain on religious freedom during the crisis.
The destruction has been described by some independent summaries and advocacy groups as a calculated campaign to uproot Christian minority communities from contested, resource-rich ancestral foothill regions.
