GUWAHATI: Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Saturday visited Churachandpur district to attend the funeral of former Kuki-Zo MLA Vungzagin Valte despite a shutdown and boycott call by some Kuki-Zo organisations.
Valte was attacked by a mob in Imphal on May 4, 2023, a day after the Kuki-Meitei ethnic violence began. He died at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on February 20 this year after battling injuries sustained in the attack.
His funeral was delayed as his family and an umbrella body of Kuki-Zo organisations demanded justice, including a probe by a central agency into the assault.
Six Kuki-Zo civil society organisations boycotted the Chief Minister's visit, while the Kuki Inpi Manipur had urged him to postpone it until conditions became conducive.
Singh travelled to Churachandpur by helicopter and attended the funeral service at Dorcas Veng, becoming the first Chief Minister to visit the Kuki-majority district since the ethnic violence erupted in 2023.
According to a government statement, he returned to Imphal the same day to attend a virtual meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Speaking at the funeral, Singh described Valte as “a very calm person” and recalled their association since 2017, when he became Speaker of the Assembly.
Reflecting on the May 4, 2023 attack, 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.”
He said his visit was a personal gesture of respect.
“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,” Singh said.
The Chief Minister also recalled the situation during the early days of the violence and said every effort was made to prevent further unrest and ensure the safety of public representatives.
Later, speaking to the media, Singh said dialogue is the only way to restore peace and added that lasting peace is essential for Manipur's development.
Valte was laid to rest at the YPA New Lamka Cemetery in Dorcas Veng.
On April 27, 2023, then Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had cancelled his scheduled visit to Churachandpur after the venue was set on fire the previous night.
Six days later, violence broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities following a tribal solidarity march protesting a Manipur High Court order directing the state government to consider including the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list.
