Imphal, July 3 (IANS) Manipur Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and veteran tribal leader Vungzagin Valte’s mortal remains will be laid to rest on Saturday in Churachandpur district, 134 days after he succumbed to injuries sustained during the ethnic violence in the state, the Zomi Council, an apex tribal body, said on Friday.

The body of the 62-year-old BJP leader, who belonged to the Zomi tribal community, has been kept at the Churachandpur District Hospital since it was brought from Delhi after he died at a private hospital in Gurugram on February 21.

A three-time legislator from the Thanlon Assembly constituency, Valte had been undergoing prolonged medical treatment in Delhi after he was brutally attacked during the ethnic violence in Imphal on May 4, 2023.

Following his discharge, he had been residing in the Kuki-Zo-dominated Churachandpur district. As his health deteriorated, Valte was airlifted from Imphal to New Delhi on February 8 for advanced medical treatment and admitted to a private hospital in Gurugram, where he breathed his last on February 21.

Valte was critically injured by a mob on May 4, 2023, in Imphal shortly after attending a meeting with the then Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

The assault left him with multiple grievous injuries and partial paralysis, necessitating his urgent transfer to Delhi, where he underwent months of intensive medical treatment.

His driver was also killed in the attack.

“Valte will be buried at a cemetery in Dorcas Veng village in Churachandpur district on Saturday afternoon,” Zomi Council Secretary (Information and Publicity) Mary Jones Vung said in a statement on Friday.

The statement added: “Family members, relatives, friends, well-wishers, church leaders, community leaders and representatives of various organisations are invited to join in honouring the life and legacy of Vungzagin Valte and to stand in solidarity with his family during this time of grief.”

Meanwhile, the Zomi Council has reiterated its demand that the Union Government expedite the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the brutal attack on the legislator.

In a memorandum addressed earlier to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submitted through the Churachandpur district authorities, the council alleged that justice has yet to be delivered to Valte, who represented the Thanlon Assembly constituency in the tribal-dominated district.

The Zomi Council had stated that Valte was not merely an elected representative of the Zomi community but also a senior tribal legislator and a respected voice of the Zo people, comprising the Kuki, Zomi, Mizo and Hmar tribal communities.

Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla had earlier visited Valte’s residence in Churachandpur district and paid his respects by laying a wreath and offering a ceremonial shawl on the mortal remains of the late tribal leader.

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, who travelled to Delhi on February 21, also visited the private hospital in Gurugram and paid his last respects to the late BJP legislator.

At least 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since May 2023 due to ethnic violence in Manipur between the valley-based Meiteis and the tribal Kuki-Zo, who live in the hill districts.

–IANS

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