A Christian ecumenical body has urged India’s federal government to restore peace in Manipur state, where life was disrupted by the latest bout of violence between indigenous Christians and Meitei Hindus. “The gravity of the situation cannot be overstated. The peo-ple of Manipur are caught in a state of utter hopelessness and insecurity,” said Reverend Asir Ebenezer, general secretary of the National Council of Chur-ches in India (NCCI), repre-senting Protestant and Ortho-dox Churches in the country. In a public appeal on Nov. 19, the NCCI referred to the brutal killing of 20 people, including women and children, since Nov. 7 in the state bordering civil war-hit Myanmar. “Fami-lies have been torn apart, and entire communities have been displaced from their homes. Children cannot continue their studies,” it said. The NCCI also referred to the miseries caused to the people by the acute shortage of basic nece-ssities such as food, health-care, and transport facilities. “The continued instability is eroding the very social fabric of Manipur, and the toll on the mental and physical well-being of the people is staggering,” it said. The spate of violence began on May 3 last year and has claimed around 250 lives besides displacing some 60,000 people, mostly Christians. Over 360 Churches have been destroyed. “We condemn the violence in the strongest terms and express our grave concern over the lack of sufficient and timely intervention by the authorities,” the NCCI said.