The death of 54-year-old Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh, who allegedly died after being assaulted by a group of delivery workers and dhaba staff in Delhi’s Kilokari village, has reignited concerns over the safety and racial discrimination faced by people from the Northeast in the national capital.
Singh was allegedly attacked in the early hours of Monday after he objected to a group of men shouting and consuming alcohol outside his apartment.
According to Manipuri social activist Ruchida Sharma, the incident took place between around 11 pm and midnight. Singh lived on the third floor of an apartment in Kilokari village with his family.
Sharma said Singh’s wife and son were in another room and were initially unaware of what had happened. They later heard a loud noise at the door and found Singh being assaulted. The alleged attackers fled when the family members came out of the apartment, she said.
The incident has drawn condemnation from political leaders and Northeast community voices, with several linking the death to the wider issue of racial discrimination against people from the region.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Singh had gone downstairs to ask the men to lower the noise and was “beaten to death for it”.
Questioning the safety of Northeast families in Delhi, Gandhi asked what the Union Home Ministry and Delhi Police were doing to prevent what he described as growing lawlessness.
Lakpachui Siro, a Manipuri social activist, said the incident should not be treated simply as an isolated crime or a law-and-order issue, arguing that it reflects a deeper and persistent problem of racism and racial discrimination.
She referred to the 2014 death of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh who died after being assaulted in Delhi, saying the case had triggered a wider movement against racism and discrimination faced by people from the Northeast.
The movement contributed to the formation of the M.P. Bezbaruah Committee in 2014, which examined the concerns and challenges faced by people from the Northeast living in other parts of the country.
More than a decade later, Siro said, the fundamental problem remains unresolved, with Parliament yet to enact a comprehensive anti-racial discrimination law.
She called on the Centre and Parliament to recognise racism, racial discrimination and violence motivated by racial prejudice explicitly in law, with stronger provisions for investigation, prosecution and punishment.
“We cannot continue to mourn victims after every such tragedy and then return to business as usual,” she said, calling for a strong and comprehensive anti-racial law.
The death has also prompted reactions from leaders across the Northeast.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma expressed concern over the incident and said it had “once again reopened the painful wounds” of discrimination and atrocities faced by people from the Northeast in the national capital. He called on the Delhi Police to ensure that those responsible face strict consequences.
Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M Scindia also expressed condolences to Singh’s family and urged the Delhi Police to conduct a swift and thorough investigation, stressing that the safety and dignity of people from the Northeast were “non-negotiable”.
The Indian National Congress said the killing could not be dismissed as merely another crime and called for a swift, impartial and thorough investigation.
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