AMN / New Delhi
SEVERAL POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE strongly condemned the brutal killing of Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh in South Delhi.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday condemned the killing of Manipuri music teacher Chongtham Vikram Singh in Delhi, expressing concern over the safety of people from the Northeast in the national capital.
Mr. Kharge said the “merciless lynching” of Singh by a mob was a “chilling reminder” of the alleged lawlessness under the BJP government. He said students, women, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities remained vulnerable, while people from the Northeast continued to face discrimination.
“Under HM Amit Shah’s watch, Delhi has become a crime capital, with the NCRB recording highest levels of crimes in the national capital year after year,” Mr. Kharge said in a post on X. He offered condolences to Singh’s family and demanded that those responsible face the “strictest action”.
He also accused the Centre of leaving people from Manipur to suffer both within the State and outside it.
Mr. Gandhi, in a Facebook post, said Singh had gone downstairs to ask a group of men to lower the noise outside his home and was beaten to death. “A father, killed outside his own home, in his own country’s capital,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi said the killing had raised questions about the safety of people from the Northeast living in Delhi. “After many such incidents, every Northeast family in Delhi is asking the same question today — are we safe here?” he said.
Questioning the functioning of the Union Home Ministry and Delhi Police, Mr. Gandhi asked what they were doing to prevent what he described as “growing lawlessness”, especially against people from the Northeast.
Conveying his condolences to Singh’s family, he called for a swift investigation and said those responsible must be brought to justice.
The Communist Party of India in a statement also strongly condemned the brutal killing of Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh.
“This horrific killing is yet another indication of Delhi’s deteriorating law-and-order situation and growing lawlessness. The Delhi Police, directly working under Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has completely failed in its duty to ensure the safety of citizens, while quick to unleash violence on citizens when they demand accountability. How could a mob unleash such violence in a residential locality with such impunity? The reported possibility of a racial motive against the people of the North East, if any, is a matter of grave concern and must be thoroughly and impartially investigated” party said in a statement.
The CPI demands strict and exemplary action against all those responsible and accountability for police failure. We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and admirers of Chongtham Vikram Singh and stand in solidarity with the people of Manipur and the Northeast in this hour of grief.
On Sunday night, Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh was allegedly assaulted and killed by a group of eight people outside his flat in Delhi’s Kilokari village after he objected to the commotion they were making, said police.
The incident has left the national capital shaken and prompted sharp responses on crimes against people from northeast in Delhi and the law and order situation there.
Chongtham Vikram Singh was a well-known guitarist from Manipur who had been working as a private music teacher in Delhi for the past 17 years.
Originally from Imphal West’s Thangmeiband Lourung Purel Leikai in Imphal West, Chongtham made his name in Manipur’s music circle as he played for several well-known bands there including Phoenix and Ultra Vires before moving to Delhi, according to several reports.
In Delhi, he continued with his music career and went to establish a music school where he mentored students from his home. He also taught at the Delhi School of Music, reported Indian Express.