Believers in north-east India are mourning the tragic deaths of Christian leaders following a deadly ambush in Manipur on 13 May.
Among those killed was Revd Dr Vumthang Sithlou, a respected Bible reviser closely associated with the Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS), along with other pastors returning from a church gathering.
Dr Sithlou, remembered as a man of peace and a faithful servant of Christ, had long devoted himself to strengthening the church through the Scriptures.
The attack comes amid a prolonged and complex conflict in the region since 2023, which, though rooted largely in political and land issues, has at times involved the burning of churches and attacks on Christians.
The loss is particularly poignant for TBS. Only the day before the tragedy, colleagues had been in contact with Dr Sithlou to undertake final checks on the second edition of the Thadou Bible.
For many years, like his forebears, he laboured with unceasing prayer to ensure faithful translations of the Scriptures for his people. Christians have been asked to pray for the publication of the second edition of the Thadou Bible.
The Thadou community, numbering around 350,000 across Manipur and neighbouring regions, has seen remarkable gospel growth since the 1920s, with the vast majority now professing the Christian faith. TBS has supported revision work since the 1960s.
Even amid unrest, the work of God’s Word continues. A recent milestone has been the completion of an audio recording of the Thadou Bible in Manipur, produced with local believers despite ongoing disruption and sustained by daily prayer.
