Kuki BJP MLA injured in 2023 Manipur violence, dies in Delhi hospital

The 64-year-old BJP MLA was airlifted to New Delhi on February 8 after his condition deteriorated.

A senior BJP MLA belonging to the Kuki community in Manipur, Vungzagin Valte, who was critically injured in an alleged attack by the Meiteis in May 2023 in Imphal, passed away in a hospital in Delhi on Friday.

Valte, 64, who represented Thanlon Assembly Constituency in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district, was airlifted to New Delhi on February 8 after his condition deteriorated. New CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh met him at Imphal airport before he was airlifted for better treatment.

Valte had remained bedridden since he was allegedly attacked by Meiteis on May 4, 2023, while he was returning after meeting the then Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in Meitei-dominated Imphal. He was critically injured, while his driver died on the spot. The incident took place a day after the conflict involving the Meitei and the Kuki communities broke out.

Confirming Valte's demise, Govindas Konthoujam, a senior Minister in the Manipur Cabinet, said, "He was a peace-loving leader who always worked with sincerity and patience to bridge differences between communities. Manipur has lost a dedicated public servant, and the loss of such a leader is a great loss to the State and the Nation. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones in this moment of grief."

Valte died at a time when the new government in Manipur had been trying to reach out to both Meitei and the Kuki communities to find a solution to the conflict.