New Delhi: A 54-year-old Manipuri guitarist and private music instructor, Chongtham Vikram Singh, died at a private hospital early Monday morning after being brutally assaulted by a group of delivery and restaurant workers in southeast Delhi’s Kilokari village. The fatal confrontation occurred late Sunday night around 11:30 PM when Singh stepped downstairs from his third-floor rented apartment to dispose of household garbage and objected to loud shouting and nuisance by workers gathered outside nearby eateries. Following an intense verbal altercation, the group chased Singh back up into his residential building, overpowered him in the third-floor corridor, and inflicted severe blunt force injuries before fleeing the premises.
The victim was rushed by his 20-year-old son, Yaiphaba, to Holy Family Hospital in Okhla, where he succumbed to haemorrhagic shock and extensive internal injuries around 7:00 AM. The Delhi Police registered a first information report under Sections 103(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Sunlight Colony police station. Utilizing security camera footage, local intelligence, and technical surveillance, investigators apprehended eight individuals, including seven adults identified as local food stall, dhaba, and delivery staff, along with a 15-year-old boy.
The killing triggered widespread outrage among members of the Northeast community in the capital, who organized a candlelight march to demand strict and speedy justice. Prominent political figures across party lines condemned the assault, with former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh urging Delhi law enforcement to complete an exhaustive, transparent probe. Manipur Member of Parliament Bimol Akoijam and Manipur Chief Minister Khemchand Yumnam paid tribute to Singh’s prominent artistic legacy as a pioneer of Western rock music and lead guitarist in popular bands such as Phoenix and Ultra Vires, demanding exemplary punishment for all perpetrators involved.
