India: Cross desecrated in Manipur

As published by human rights activists on various social media platforms, on 9 April 2024, the St. Joseph’s Prayer Mount in Sugnu town (Kakching district of Manipur) was desecrated by Meitei militants when they affixed a flag called the Salai Taret flag over the large concrete cross, covering the face of the figure of Christ. The Salai Taret flag has seven colors and is believed to represent the seven clans or dynasties of the Meiteis. 

Sugnu, a town at the southern tip of the Kakching district has been a major flashpoint of conflict in Manipur, which has seen severe ethno-religious conflict since May 2023. In June 2023, over 200 houses, including that of Kangujam Ranjit, Congress Member of Legislative Assembly from Sugnu Assembly, were set on fire by suspected militants in Kakching district (NDTV, 5 June 2023). Over the June and July 2023 period, St. Joseph’s Church as well as hundreds of Kuki homes were burnt down in Sugnu (Khalvontawi, 12 August 2023). 

World Watch Research analyst Ryan Benjamin comments: “Although there is no mainstream media coverage about the desecration of the Prayer Mount cross, it is clear that Meitei groups (such as the violent armed group called Arambai Tenggol) are behind the targeting of Kuki Christians. Almost exactly a year has passed since the ethno-religious conflict began in Manipur (on 3 May 2023), and incidents such as the one above indicates that Kuki-inhabited areas like Sugnu will continue to be targeted by militant Meitei groups in the future unless the state and central government establish rule of law in these regions and clamp down on Meitei extremist activities.”