Manipur Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh. File picture.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Saturday (July 4, 2026) attended BJP MLA Vungazagin Valte’s last rites in Churachandpur district and said his deepest regret was not being by the side of the late leader when he was assaulted by a mob in the State capital.
Mr. Singh took a chopper to visit the Kuki-Zomi majority district, amidst protests by Kuki groups. At least six Kuki organisations boycotted Singh’s visit to the Kuki-Zo majority district, demanding a permanent resolution to the simmering ethnic conflict in the State.
“Today, I had a meeting with the Union Home Minister (virtually). That’s why I didn’t come by road,” the Chief Minister said.
Also Read : Manipur’s Zomi leaders to take late BJP MLA Valte’s body to Delhi, protest outside party office
Describing Valte as a “very calm person”, Mr. Singh said, “When I was first elected (in 2017) and became Speaker, he was one of my best friends.” “I still remember that particular incident of May 4 (2023). We were all together discussing how to control the violence… if I were with him on that particular evening, that incident would have never taken place,” Mr. Singh said.
He went on to say that on the evening of May 3, “deputy chief minister Nemcha Kipgen said she wanted to go back to Kangpokpi. I persuaded her to stay back, citing mob violence. She was sent back with full security at 2 a.m. the following day”.
“Today, I came here to pay my last respects to my friend Pu Valte. To be able to attend it is a huge honour for me. Valte’s family is like my family. His friends and close ones are my friends too. I will always extend any support to all of them,” Mr. Singh added.
Valte, a three-time legislator from Thanlon constituency, will be buried at a cemetery in Dorcas Veng village in Churachandpur district at around 1.30 pm, according to a Zomi Council statement issued on Friday.
The body of the 61-year-old BJP leader belonging to the Zomi community has been kept in Churachandpur District Hospital since it was brought from Delhi in February.
Valte had been battling serious injuries he had sustained during a mob attack in Imphal’s Nagamapal area when ethnic violence broke out in May 2023, and went to Delhi for medical treatment.
After nearly two years of treatment there, Valte returned home to Churachandpur, accompanied by his wife, in April last year.
On February 7, his health condition suddenly worsened, and he was taken to the national capital the next day via an air ambulance. He died at a private hospital in Gurugram on February 20.
Following his death, Zomi frontal organisations formed the Zomi Coordination Committee (ZCC) to oversee matters related to the late legislator, including engagement with the Centre, the State government, and other authorities on issues of justice and accountability, causing the delay in the burial, sources in the community said.
The ZCC recently resolved to hand over Valte’s mortal remains to his family to enable them to perform his final rites, they said.
The ZCC’s demands included a time-bound investigation by the NIA or CBI into the attack on the MLA leading to his death, and the grant of Union Territory status with a legislature for the Kuki-Zo majority areas of Manipur, which he perceived as the only way towards the development of the community on par with others, sources said.
Valte had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi explaining the importance and the need for a separate administration.
At least 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since May 2023 due to ethnic violence in Manipur between the valley-based Meiteis and the Kukis who live in the hill districts.
Following continued ethic clashes and the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, the state was placed under President’s Rule on February 13, 2025. It was lifted nearly a year later, on February 4.
Published – July 04, 2026 01:04 pm IST
