A candlelight vigil for peace in Manipur was organised today by the North East Indian Christian Council at All Saints Cathedral here.
Leaders and representatives of various churches and church bodies in and around Shillong gathered this evening to pray for the restoration of peace and harmony in strife-torn Manipur.
Rev SR Dkhar said that the citizens of Manipur desperately hoped that violence would cease after the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
However, the situation on the ground remained unchanged, bringing about a significant setback and deepening the anguish of the affected population, he added.
“It has been more than a month that we are witnessing a situation where reconciliation seems to be a distant dream. In fact the situation has made everyone across Manipur to become so rigid and parochial that no one seems to think and act for the good and welfare of the state, especially for those who have suffered due to the unmindful violence,” Rev Dkhar said.
The churches of the North East wanted to hold the candlelight vigil to pray for and express solidarity with the families of those who have lost loved ones, those who have lost their homes or had to flee their homes and those who have suffered psychological scars by experiencing violence.
“We pray for the church, religious community leaders across the society to have the wisdom, understanding and responsibility to come together to initiate the process of reconciliation,” Rev Dkhar said, adding a hope for the safeguarding of religious freedom in Manipur, which has come under attack with hundreds of places of worship having been destroyed.
