Manipuri Musician Beaten To Death In Delhi Over Noise Dispute, Eight Held

A 54-year-old musician from Manipur died after a group of delivery workers and dhaba staff allegedly attacked him outside his home in southeast Delhi's Kilokari village, in an incident that has drawn condemnation from the northeastern community in the capital.

A Dispute Over Noise Turns Fatal

The victim, identified as Chongtham Vikram Singh, belonged to the Meitei community and had lived in Kilokari with his wife and son for more than a decade. Police said he went downstairs late on Saturday night after hearing a group of men shouting and drinking outside his residence, and asked them to quieten down. The men allegedly turned on him with fists and blows. His son, Yaiphaba, rushed him to Holy Family Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. In his police complaint, Yaiphaba said he heard his father shouting, saw four or five men assaulting him, and was later told by his father that the attackers had come from a nearby dhaba he had previously warned about causing a disturbance.

Eight Held, Including A Minor

The Sunlight Colony police station registered the case after a PCR call and filed an FIR under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita covering murder and common intention. Eight people have been apprehended, including a minor. Police identified the adults as Bharat Kumar, Pramod, Ramzan Khan, Deepanshu, Mohan Vishwakarma, Vijay and Mannu, all of whom worked as delivery staff or in packaging and food stalls at dhabas in the area; the juvenile accused is 15. A postmortem was conducted at AIIMS Delhi, and its findings are awaited. Vikram was known in Manipur's music circuit as a guitarist who had played with bands including Ultra Vires, Phoenix and Eastern Dark, and was the son of well-known Manipuri singer Chongtham Kamala.

Community Groups Demand Swift Justice

The North East Students' Society, Delhi University, called the killing a senseless act of violence and urged a swift and impartial investigation with accountability for those responsible. The Meitei Heritage Society described the attack as part of a recurring pattern of violence and insecurity faced by people from the Northeast living in Delhi NCR, and criticised what it called a delay in the FIR being registered, which it said prompted protests outside the police station. Members of the northeast community have alleged the assault may have been racially motivated, though police have said no such motive has been established so far and that both the circumstances and motive remain under investigation.

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