Manipuri man beaten to death in Delhi; 8 held

A Manipuri guitarist, Vikram Singh Chongtham, was killed in Delhi after confronting a noisy group; seven suspects have been arrested.

A 54-year-old Manipuri guitarist and music teacher died after he was allegedly assaulted by a group of eight people outside his rented flat in southeast Delhi’s Kilokari village late on Sunday, after he objected to a commotion they were creating near his home, police and people familiar with the incident said on Monday.

Seven men have been arrested and a 15-year-old boy apprehended in connection with the killing, police said. (HT)

Seven men have been arrested and a 15-year-old boy apprehended in connection with the killing, police said.

The victim, Vikram Singh Chongtham, a well-known guitarist from Manipur, had been working as a private music teacher in Delhi for the past 17 years. He lived with his wife, Joshna Chongtham, 50, and their 20-year-old son, Yaiphaba Chongtham, in a third-floor flat in Kilokari, which falls under Sunlight Colony police station.

According to B Ruchida Sharma, a Manipuri social activist who works with people from the Northeast in Delhi, Chongtham went downstairs around 11.30pm on Sunday to dispose of garbage when he saw a group of workers from two nearby dhabas shouting and creating a commotion.

An altercation allegedly broke out after Chongtham objected to their behaviour. Sharma said Chongtham then ran towards his home but the group chased him to the building.

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Vineet Kumar said Sunlight Colony police station received a call about the assault at 1.38am on Monday.

Chongtham’s family took him to a private hospital in Okhla, where he died during treatment around 7am, according to Sharma.

Police registered a case under sections 103(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Section 103(2) pertains to murder committed by a group of five or more persons acting in concert on specified grounds, including race, caste or community, sex, place of birth, language or personal belief, while Section 3(5) deals with acts committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention.

Investigators used CCTV footage, technical surveillance and local intelligence to identify the eight suspects, police said. Seven adults were subsequently arrested and a 15-year-old boy was apprehended.

The arrested men were identified as Bharat Kumar, 19, Pramod, 26, Ramzan Khan, 22, Vijay, 36, Deepanshu, 21, Mohan Vishwakarma, 32, and Mannu, 26. Police said four of them worked as delivery workers and two as packaging workers at the dhabas, while Mannu worked at a pizza kiosk.

Nearly 100 people from the Northeast gathered in Kilokari village on Monday evening for a candlelight march, demanding swift action in the case.

Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh also urged Delhi Police to conduct a thorough investigation.

“Deeply saddened by the tragic passing of renowned Manipuri guitarist and Western music pioneer, Shri Chongtham Vikram Singh, and deeply concerned by the incident in which he was allegedly assaulted near his residence in southeast Delhi,” Singh wrote on X.

“With evidence now emerging in connection with the incident, I urge the Delhi Police to take swift and appropriate action, thoroughly investigate the matter, and ensure that justice is delivered at the earliest,” he added.