Manipur MLA who was brutally attacked in 2023 seeks unity to combat ethnic crisis

A tribal leader associated with Valte said that the MLA skipped Imphal for security reasons and arrived in Aizawl from the national capital. Valte, a sitting Manipur BJP MLA, was officially received at the Lengpui Airport by Mizoram MLA Ginzalal, who is adviser (Technical) to Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma.

The influential Mizo Students’ Organisation organised a warm reception programme at the airport, extending support and solidarity to the veteran leader.

The tribal leader urged unity among the ethnic Zo community people, stating, “since we are all descendants of the Zo community, we should come together and jointly fight against the present ethnic crisis in Manipur".

Valte, who represented Thanlon constituency, one of the six assembly constituencies in tribal inhabited Churachandpur district, accused former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, alleging that “he (Biren Singh) has been against the Zo community right from the beginning".

The 61-years-old tribal legislator was attacked on May 4, 2023, in Imphal, shortly after attending a meeting with the former Chief Minister. The assault left him with multiple injuries and partial paralysis, forcing his urgent shift to Delhi for medical treatment for months.

“Valte’s driver was killed in the May 4, 2023 violent attack and he was cruelly attacked and left to die by the attackers in the capital city,” the tribal leader said.

The banker turned politician Valte said that he received very limited financial assistance from the Manipur government during his prolonged medical treatment in Delhi, despite the severity of his condition.

Ginza Vualzong, a prominent leader of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a leading body of tribals in Manipur, on Wednesday said that Vungzagin Valte is living evidence of the brutality of the Meitei community.

“He was brutally tortured and left to die after he met N. Biren Singh,” Vualzong said.

The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), a conglomerate of 13 organisations of the Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal communities in Manipur, many other tribal organisations and 10 tribal MLAs including Vungzagin Valte have been demanding a separate administration equivalent to a Union Territory for the Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal-dominated areas.