Led by a Church group, warring tribal Christians and Hindus in India’s northeastern Manipur have met for the first time to end the one-year-old sectarian strife that claimed over 220 lives. “We had seven representatives each” from both the communities, said a Church official associated with the meeting held in the neighboring Assam state on May 17. Over a dozen influential leaders from the Meitei Hindu and Kuki-Zo Christian communities were party to the first-ever meeting held at Bosco Reach Out, a Salesian house, in Guwahati in Assam. Observers say the state administration, led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party of PM Narendra Modi, has failed to end the violence that started on May 3 last year.
“The leaders spent almost a day discussing ways to restore peace after the government failed to make any headway,” a Church official who attended the peace meeting told. He described the meeting as a “significant breakthrough” as the leaders of both sides agreed to reach out to their respective people “with a positive mind.” “Surely, their efforts will yield positive results,” said the Church official who did not want to be named.