Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Don Bosco India
Imphal (Fides News Agency) - Two young Salesians were kidnapped and then released after 24 hours in captivity in Manipur, a state in north-eastern India where there is significant instability due to the ethnic conflict that has been ongoing since 2023. The two young men are safe and sound, Father Suresh SDB of the Salesian Province of Dimapur told Fides, expressing “great relief”.
The two Salesians, Albert Panmei Aching and Peter Poji Küvisie, were abducted at around 9.00 pm on 13 May whilst travelling from the Don Bosco complex in Imphal, the capital of Manipur, to the Salesian centre in Maram, about 20 kilometres away. After a night and a day of tension and fear, the two young religious were released on the evening of 14 May.
The Provincial of the Salesians of Dimapur, Father Joseph Pampackal SDB, expressing gratitude to all those who worked for the release of his confreres, praised “the coordinated efforts of civil society organizations, religious leaders, community elders and law enforcement: their intervention contributed to a peaceful resolution of this incident”, he wrote in a statement.
Father Pampackal thanked the members of the Kuki community who ensured the safety of the two Salesians during their captivity, describing it as “a testimony to reconciliation and mutual respect even in difficult circumstances”. He reiterated “the Salesians’ commitment to peace-building, dialogue and service in the region”, reaffirming “the Salesians’ mission to serve the people with faith, courage and compassion even in difficult circumstances.”
The incident occurred shortly after the brutal massacre of three Baptist pastors killed in an ambush on the morning of 13 May, along with their convoy driver, and three other pastors who are in hospital (see Fides, 13/5/2025).
Regarding the incident, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) expressed “deep sorrow and condolences for the tragic ambush” and condemned “a heinous act committed against religious leaders who have remained a vital source of hope and strength in these difficult times of social unrest. Violence only deepens the wounds, prolongs the suffering and weakens the bonds that unite our communities”.
Echoing the words of Msgr. Linus Neli, Archbishop of Imphal, the bishops issued an appeal “to all concerned to refrain from all forms of violence and retaliation”. “Guided by the true Christian spirit, we implore all communities to embrace instead dialogue, forgiveness, reconciliation, moderation and peaceful coexistence,” they wrote, urging the authorities “to act with wisdom, fairness and sensitivity so that peace and justice may prevail and trust between communities may be restored.”
In a statement sent to Fides, the ‘All India Catholic Union’ (AICU), an organization representing the Indian Catholic laity, notes: "This murder cannot be considered an isolated crime, as it forms part of the context of the ongoing deterioration of peace and constitutional governance in Manipur. Since May 2023, more than 250 lives have been lost. Over 60,000 people have been displaced. Hundreds of churches and villages have been destroyed. Thousands of people continue to live in refugee camps.”
The AICU points out that “a large number of weapons looted from police and security force arsenals remain in illegal hands, and armed groups and private militias continue to operate with impunity. This situation is unacceptable in a constitutional democracy. The central government and the Manipur state government have a constitutional duty to restore the rule of law in the state”. ‘Peace,’ the organization notes, “cannot be restored as long as armed groups control roads, villages and community boundaries. The recovery of looted weapons must be considered as a national security priority. Three years is an extremely long time for internally displaced people living in refugee camps run by the government and the Church in the state.”
Furthermore, the AICU notes, it is urgent to initiate a political dialogue involving the representative leaders of the three communities concerned, the Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Naga: “Manipur cannot be governed solely through the deployment of security forces. The current division of the state into separate zones is not peace. No community can be abandoned, and no community can be allowed to dominate another through violence, fear or the silence of the state.” The AICU calls for protection to be guaranteed for religious leaders, civil society workers, humanitarian volunteers and peace mediators who move beyond community boundaries for the sake of reconciliation and aid, since “those who risk their lives for peace and harmony cannot be left defenceless”. “We call on all people of faith and goodwill to reject revenge, resist hatred and defend the dignity of every human being,” the statement concludes.
The conflict in Manipur has become even more complex, as the ethnic tensions that began three years ago between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo have now turned into deep-rooted and widespread hostility and have spread to the Naga groups, the third largest ethnic group in the state.
“The state government,” Johna Dayal, spokesperson for the AICU, told Fides, “has failed to break the cycle of clashes or to implement effective reconciliation mechanisms. Now, with the resurgence of the Naga-Kuki conflict and rising tensions, there is a risk that the unrest will degenerate into a protracted conflict similar to that of the 1990s”, when the state of Manipur was engulfed by a serious inter-ethnic conflict pitting the Kuki against the Naga, which, between 1993 and 1998, caused over a thousand deaths, the destruction of hundreds of villages and the displacement of thousands of people. Another factor, moreover, is causing concern: in addition to internal dynamics, the turbulent state of Manipur is seeing the entry of a new actor into the ethnic conflict. These are the insurgents from Myanmar, in the Burmese state of Chin, which borders Manipur. The majority of the state’s population, in fact, is made up of the same Kuki ethnic group that is known as Chin in Myanmar. (PA) (Fides News Agency, 15/5/2026)
