The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta held a Peace Rally for Manipur on July 16.
The peaceful march commenced at Don Bosco School Park Circus Kolkata and culminated at the statue of Mother Teresa on Park Street near Allen Park.
The participants carried placards, posters, and candles expressing their solidarity with the people of Manipur while praying for peace and harmony.
Priests, religious nuns, brothers, and the lay faithful participated in the rally while praying and singing hymns.
Archbishop Thomas D'Souza said, "We want to show solidarity with the suffering people of Manipur. We pray for eternal peace for those who were killed in the brutal violence.”
He also said the march is like walking together as a community of the disciples of Jesus.
Participants said they joined the rally because they were concerned about the ethnic violence in Manipur and fear that their communities could be the next target.
Some also expressed hopes that the peaceful march would send a message to the Central Government and find a solution to end the attacks.
A school teacher Jackline Osta also said, "The entire country needs to stand up and speak on behalf of Manipur."
Several groups from Christian and other denominations have staged similar rallies and gatherings in the past months after the attacks escalated in May this year.
In July, students, teachers, and staff members from Fusco's Matriculation Higher Secondary School in T. Vadipatti, India, participated in a special prayer gathering for Manipur.
Later in June, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India’s Commission for Ecumenism held an Inter-denominational Prayer for Peace.
Since May 3, ethnic riots between the hill dwelling Kukis and Imphal Valley's majority Meiteis have killed at least 150 people while displacing thousands who are now living in relief camps.- Chandona Rozario from RVA Bengali service
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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