Chongtham Vikram Singh was a peaceful musician who lived a peaceful life, says wife

Chongtham Vikram Singh. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Chongtham Vikram Singh, 54, was a peaceful musician who lived a quiet life, his wife Joshna Chongtham said on Tuesday, a day after he died of injuries sustained in an attack by a group of allegedly drunken men outside his home in Delhi’s ashram area. “We hope an incident like this never happens to another family and we hope justice will be served,” she said.

Ms. Chongtham made the statement at a press conference at Manipur Bhawan in New Delhi, a day after her husband, a noted musician, succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at the Holy Family Hospital.

“I am still trying to come to terms with the loss of my husband Vikram Chongtham Singh. He was my husband, the father of my child, a son and brother, a musician and a person who was deeply loved by my family, friends and relatives. His sudden death has left a loss beyond words,” Ms Chongtham said.

In State Bhawan, Manipuri rights activist Binalakshmi Nepram, who has been supporting the family since the attack, demanded life imprisonment for the accused. She said it was the government’s responsibility to educate people about the people of the northeastern states so that they “learn to love and respect us, not kill us.”

Delhi Police registered an FIR under sections of BNS related to mob lynching and arrested seven men and arrested a 15-year-old boy. They were all delivery or packing workers at a nearby dhabas. Shortly after the assault, Mr. Singh told his son that the people who assaulted him had earlier threatened him, according to the FIR, that he had asked them not to make noise late into the night.

Ms. Nepram told the press: “We want to convey a message on behalf of 3.3 million Manipuris. Touch another brother, touch another sister and Manipur will wage war against people who are trying to kill our brothers, our children, at home and in Delhi. Manipur is in a state of conflict right now. People are coming to Delhi for safety and you want India to kill you?

People close to the family said Ms Chongtham and her son would return to Imphal with Mr Singh’s body for a funeral. Condolences and condemnations have poured in since Mr. Singh’s death, with several civil society organizations holding a candlelight vigil near the Sunlight Colony police station on Monday evening.

According to the police complaint filed by Mr. Singh’s son, Mr. Singh left the house after dinner on Sunday night and around 11:30 p.m., his screams were heard from the stairwell of the building where they lived. His 20-year-old son said he opened the door to find his father being kicked and punched by a group of people who soon fled.

Ms Chongtham said that soon after Mr Singh left the house, he “ran back, chased by eight men who beat him and ran away”, adding that he complained of shortness of breath after the attack and was then taken to hospital.

Published – 8 Sep 2026 23:04 IST