Supreme Court orders restitution for Manipur victims

The Supreme Court of India has ruled that the government should take steps towards helping victims and churches recover from the violence in Manipur. 

Your generosity has funded the provision of aid for victims of the violence in Manipur

In good news from India, the government has been directed to look at how they can help churches and people affected by the violence in Manipur last year. 

The instruction – which was issued by the country’s Supreme Court before Christmas – requires the government to identify and secure the places of worship that have been destroyed and submit a proposal for their restoration. The court also ruled that the government should create a policy for rehabilitating those whose houses were destroyed. 

• "God has protected my baby and my life" – Rikita from Manipur

The ethno-religious violence that broke out in May last year centres around hostilities between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki ethnic groups. Christians on both sides of the clash have been disproportionately targeted, according to local Open Doors experts. More than 120 believers were killed, whilst 4,500 buildings and homes belonging to Christians and some 400 churches were destroyed. Around 50,000 believers have been displaced. 

This is a very welcome development for those affected by the awful violence, particularly as the government has been criticised for its muted response to the crisis. Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray for our family in Manipur and elsewhere across India, which is currently number 11 on the World Watch List.