Imphal, Feb 26 (IANS) The Zomi Council, an apex tribal body in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, on Thursday urged the Centre to expedite the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the brutal attack on BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte, who passed away at a private hospital in Gurugram on February 21.
In a memorandum addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submitted through the Churachandpur district authorities, the council alleged that justice has not been delivered to Valte, who was elected to the Manipur Assembly from the Thanlon constituency in the tribal-inhabited district.
The Zomi Council said that Valte was not merely an elected representative from the Zomi community but a senior tribal legislator and a respected voice of the Zo people, comprising the Kuki, Zomi, Mizo and Hmar tribal communities.
“Nearly three years have passed since an elected BJP MLA and then Advisor to the Chief Minister was lynched and left to die, yet there has been no visible, time-bound prosecution, no decisive accountability and no clear direction towards justice. This prolonged delay reflects not only political neglect but also a deeper structural problem — the systematic marginalisation and vulnerability of the Zo and other hill tribes under a majoritarian, Meitei-dominated state apparatus in Manipur,” the memorandum stated.
It further alleged that the tribal legislator was a victim of systematic violence perpetrated in a political environment where tribal rights, voices and security were progressively undermined.
The memorandum, jointly signed by Zomi Council Chairman Vumsuan Naulak and General Secretary Pauneihlal, demanded time-bound engagement by the Government of India to address and fulfil the political aspirations of the Zo hill tribes.
It also sought concrete constitutional and administrative measures to ensure genuine political autonomy and security for the Zo hill tribes of Manipur.
Meanwhile, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Tuesday visited the residence of the 62-year-old late tribal leader in Churachandpur district and paid his respects to the mortal remains of Valte by laying a wreath and a shawl. Valte’s body was brought to Lengpui Airport in Mizoram’s capital, Aizawl, on February 22 and later taken by road to his home district of Churachandpur.
Zomi Council Chairman Vumsuan Naulak said that the date of Valte’s burial would be notified later. Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, who travelled to Delhi on February 21, visited the private hospital in Gurugram and paid his last respects to the late legislator.
Valte had been residing in the Kuki-Zo-dominated Churachandpur district after undergoing prolonged medical treatment in Delhi following a violent attack during the ethnic violence in Imphal on May 4, 2023.
As his health deteriorated, he was airlifted from Imphal to New Delhi on February 8 for advanced medical treatment and admitted to a private hospital in Gurugram, where he breathed his last on the afternoon of February 21.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governor Bhalla, Chief Minister Singh and several other leaders and organisations expressed deep grief and condolences over Valte’s demise.
Valte was brutally attacked and critically injured by assailants on May 4, 2023, in Imphal shortly after attending a meeting with former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.
The assault left him with multiple injuries and partial paralysis, necessitating his urgent transfer to Delhi, where he underwent months of intensive medical treatment. His driver was killed in the attack.
–IANS
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