Manipur Chief Minister visited Churachandpur to attend BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte’s funeral.
IMPHAL — Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Saturday visited Churachandpur and attended the funeral service of BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte, marking the first visit by a chief minister to the district since ethnic violence erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023.
Despite protests by Kuki civil society organisations, Khemchand, accompanied by MLA T Robindro, arrived in Churachandpur by helicopter and proceeded to Valte’s residence, where the condolence service was held.
MLAs Chinlunthang and Letzamang, along with former minister V Hangkhanlian, were also present.
Expressing grief over the legislator’s death, the Chief Minister said, “My deepest regret is that on that particular afternoon, if I were with him, that incident would not have taken place.”
“Today, I came here for a short visit 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 whenever needed,” he added.
Speaking to reporters in Churachandpur, Khemchand stressed that dialogue remains the only path to restoring peace in Manipur and underlined the importance of lasting peace for the state's development.
When asked about the roadmap to peace, he replied, “Your smile is the way for peace,” responding to the question, which had been posed with a smile.
The mortal remains of the late legislator were laid to rest at the YPA New Lamka Cemetery after family members, friends, and the wider community paid their final respects.
Valte is survived by his wife, a daughter, and two sons.
On Friday evening, the Kuki Civil Society Organisations (KCSO), comprising Kuki Inpi Churachandpur, KSO Churachandpur, and the Kuki Women Union, opposed and announced a boycott of the Chief Minister’s visit to the district.
Valte’s funeral took place more than four months after his death at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on February 21.
His body had remained in the district hospital mortuary as community leaders continued to seek justice in connection with the attack that left him critically injured.
A three-time MLA representing Thanlon Assembly Constituency and a former minister and adviser to a former chief minister, Valte, 62, was brutally assaulted by a mob on May 4, 2023, a day after ethnic violence broke out in Manipur. He remained under intensive medical care until his death.
On Friday, the Zomi Council stated that the funeral service would be held at his residence in Dorcas Veng, New Lamka, allowing relatives, friends, and members of the community to pay their final respects and offer condolences to the bereaved family.
Manipur has witnessed prolonged ethnic violence since May 2023, with clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities claiming more than 260 lives and displacing over 50,000 people.