The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a key Kuki-Zo tribal body on Sunday night said that at least five churches, one school, a petrol pump and 14 homes of the tribals in Jiribam were burnt by rival community attackers.
Condemning the burning down of the churches, a school, a petrol pump and houses on Saturday night, the ITLF alleged that the security forces stationed in Jiribam town failed to protect the buildings despite a Supreme Court order to protect structures abandoned due to the ongoing conflict in Manipur.
Raising the question of why are churches repeatedly being targeted, the tribal body claimed that more than 360 churches have been destroyed since the ethnic conflict started in Manipur as if this is some kind of religious war.
The latest round of violence started with the unprovoked attack by “militants” at Zairawn village in Jiribam, in which a combined force of radical …