Edited by: Elvish Haokip, Kukiland Express Desk
Songpi: May 19, 2026
More than 200 Kuki community members, students, church officials, and supporters gathered at Secunderabad’s Centenary Baptist Church on Friday, May 15, for a memorial service honoring three Kuki church leaders killed in Manipur. The program, organized by the Kuki Students’ Organisation-Hyderabad (KSO-H), included prayers, tributes, and a candlelight vigil. Attendees described the slain leaders as “dedicated servants of god” and called for accountability for their deaths.
Speakers at the event strongly condemned the May 13 attack and accused the ZUF-Kamson faction, allegedly backed by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), of targeting “innocent church leaders”. The victims — Rev Vumthang Sitlhou, Pastor Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou — were returning to Kangpokpi after attending the United Baptist Convention in Churachandpur when armed men reportedly opened fire on their convoy near Saheibung Peak around 10 am. Police said the ambush killed the three pastors and injured four others.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of Manipur’s prolonged three-year conflict between the Meitei and Kuki groups. Tensions have also risen between Kuki and Tangkhul Naga communities since an altercation at Litan in Ukhrul district on February 7. In a May 16 press release, KSO-H noted that Rev Sitlhou, former general secretary of the Manipur Baptist Convention, had worked to ease Kuki-Naga tensions and had initiated a reconciliation meeting in Kohima.
KSO-H vice president Mangpi Haokip said the pastors were “beacons of hope in troubled times” and that their killing “demands accountability”. He added that no community should live in fear of such targeted violence. Mangpi told The News Minute that limited media coverage of the Northeast has pushed religious groups and student bodies to stage demonstrations across the country. The organization’s main demand, he said, is for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the case to ensure an “impartial investigation”.
The memorial in Hyderabad was one of several events held by Kuki groups following the attack. The program concluded with prayers for peace and calls for justice for the three church leaders.
