Salesians Honor 3 Members Killed in India 25 Years Ago As Ethnic Tensions Persist

Salesians Honor 3 Members Killed in India 25 Years Ago As Ethnic Tensions Persist

Salesian priests pray at the graves of three members of their order killed in 2001 during a 25th-anniversary memorial Mass at the provincial cemetery in Dimapur, India, on May 15, 2026. Relatives and former novices gathered in northeast India to honor two priests and a brother killed by militants in 2001 — even as fresh ethnic violence roils the region.

Salesians commemorate three missionaries and relive deadly attack anniversary in Dimapur India during emotional silver jubilee gathering

[»] Jump to Summary… In the cemetery of the Salesian province in Dimapur, northeast India, grief and remembrance returned with quiet intensity on May 15, 2026. The occasion marked 25 years since the killing of three Salesian members at a novitiate in Manipur — an event that still echoes deeply within the community. What began as a routine night in 2001 at the Ngarian Hills novitiate ended in tragedy when armed militants stormed the facility. Thr…

Salesians honor 3 members killed in India 25 years ago as tensions persist

DIMAPUR, India — The cemetery of the Salesian province of Dimapur in northeast India was the scene of a solemn remembrance May 15 marking the 25th anniversary of the killing of three Salesian members at a novitiate in neighboring Manipur state.Father Raphael Paliakara, the 46-year-old novitiate rector; Father Andreas Kindo, the 32-year-old newly appointed administrator; and 23-year-old Brother Shinu Joseph were shot dead at the Salesian novitiat…