SHILLONG, MAY 14: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday condemned the killing of Baptist church leaders in Manipur, calling it a “brutal and cowardly” act and urging both the state government and the people of Manipur to work toward restoring peace.

Speaking to reporters, Sangma said violence in any form is “deeply unacceptable” to his party.

“Any kind of violence is something that from our party side is deeply unacceptable and the way it was done and the way the church leaders were attacked and the loss of lives that was there is something which we have highly condemned as a party,” he said.

The Chief Minister appealed for collective efforts to end unrest in the state. “We urge the state government as well as the people of Manipur that we need to ensure that violence must stop and we must continue to work together as a society to work towards bringing back peace in the state of Manipur,” Sangma stated.

He noted the prolonged turmoil in Manipur, adding, “Manipur has been suffering for a very long time and if we do not have peace, we will not be able to move towards bringing back normalcy in the state.”

Sangma’s remarks come amid continuing tensions in Manipur, where ethnic violence since May 2023 has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands. The killing of church leaders has drawn widespread condemnation from political and religious groups across the Northeast.