Nearly a fortnight after the BJP’s former Manipur MLA Vungzagin Valte died in a Gurugram hospital, due to medical complications from injuries caused by a mob attack in Imphal on May 4, 2023, his burial is yet to take place.
Valte, a member of a Zomi tribe and an adviser on tribal affairs to the previous Manipur CM, was attacked while leaving the Chief Minister’s office just a day after ethnic violence broke out between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei people. He was paralysed in the attack and died on February 21. Valte’s body is being preserved in a deep freezer at the morgue of Churachandpur district hospital, his son Joseph Valte told The Hindu.
Manipur BJP MLA’s kin refuse burial till government announces new district and NIA probe
The Valte family and the community leaders of the Zomi tribe have listed several demands to be met before they are willing to perform the last rites for Valte. The Zomi Coordination Committee (ZCC) has been formed to press for these demands, which includes a National Investigation Agency probe into the assault, and a political solution to the conflict. The ZCC has announced a month of mourning in honour of the late MLA, who was a three-time legislator.
A senior government official said that attempts are being made to convince the family and community members to perform the last rites of the MLA while their demands are being studied.
