Churachandpur (Manipur) [India], May 14 : The Zomi Students' Federation - General Headquarters on Thursday condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack on church leaders and civilians that left three Thadou Baptist Association (TBA) pastors dead.
In a statement, ZSF-GHQ said the incident "in which Church Leaders and civilians were mercilessly attacked and killed" has "shaken the conscience of all right-thinking Christians."
The Zomi Students' Federation had declared a shutdown in the town areas from 6:00 pm on Wednesday, "as a sign of mourning for our departed souls."
The federation called the attack "unprecedented," stating that during ongoing communal tension and ethnic violence affecting all sections of society, "today's targeted attack on church and religious leaders is unprecedented to say the least."
It added, "We pray that such incidents never occur in the future."
The Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) in Churachandpur also expressed "strong condemnation" over what it termed the "heinous ambush and brutal killing of innocent TBA Church leaders" between Kotjim and Veitum/L. Jangnomphai on the morning of May 13.
The organisation called such acts against "innocent civilians and religious leaders" "utterly condemnable and unacceptable."
The shutdown has been called "in honour of the departed souls and as a mark of protest against the continued failure of the State law enforcement agencies in curbing the activities of terrorist groups," KSO said in a press release.
All shops closed in Churachandpur, all marketplaces wore a deserted look, except for emergency service; all movements came to a grinding halt, no vehicular movement in the town.
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