Conversion row in Manipur

A dozen people were critically injured and several houses razed following a clash over conversion in some tribal villages in Manipur.

A dozen people were critically injured and several houses razed following a clash over conversion in some tribal villages in Manipur. For a change, the clash wasn’t between the Sangh Parivar and the missionaries but between Catholics and Baptists.

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According to delayed reports reaching here, the clash broke out when a special Sunday ritual was conducted in a church at Kwarok Maring village in Thoubal district. The village is inhabited by Marings, a predominantly Christian tribe, the majority of whom are Baptists.

Some Baptists raided the church after they came to know that some villagers were embracing Catholicism. An attempt to stall the ritual led to a heated exchange followed by a clash. “The hostility between the Catholics and Baptists spilled over to adjoining Pechi Maring village, where Baptists allegedly demolished three houses belonging to Catholics,” said Thoubal SP S. Ibocha Singh.

He said that the area had been witnessing a low-intensity conflict between the two communities, which apparently reached a flashpoint on Sunday.