SHILLONG, MAY 14: Condemning the recent killing of Baptist church leaders in Manipur, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday described the attack as “brutal and cowardly” and said his party rejects violence in all forms.

“Any kind of violence is something that from our party side is deeply unacceptable and the way it was done and the way the church leaders were attacked and the lost of lives that was there is something which we have highly condemned as a party,” Sangma told reporters.

The Chief Minister urged immediate steps to halt further unrest in the neighboring state.

“We urge the state government as well as the people of Manipur that we need to ensure that violence must stop and we must continue to work together as a society to work towards bringing back peace in the state of Manipur,” he said.

Highlighting the prolonged conflict in Manipur, Sangma added, “Manipur has been suffering for a very long time and if we do not have peace we will not be able to move towards bringing back normalcy in the state.”

The killing of the church leaders has triggered strong reactions from civil society and political leaders across the region. Manipur has been grappling with ethnic strife since May 2023, leading to significant loss of life and displacement.