A legislator from India’s ruling party died almost three years after he was severely injured in a mob assault at the outset of ethnic violence in the northeastern state of Manipur. He was 61.
Pu Vungzagin Valte, a legislator from the Thanlon constituency, passed away at 2.19pm on Saturday at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram in Haryana, where he had been receiving intensive medical care.
He had been airlifted from the state capital Imphal on 8 February after his condition deteriorated. He had complained of breathlessness and chest pain, according to his family. Doctors placed him in intensive care and stabilised him before the transfer, saying his condition had slightly improved prior to the flight.
The Manipur government has declared a three-day period of state mourning that began on Sunday. His mortal remains reached Churachandpur in the early hours of Monday after entering Manipur via the Tuivai River border with neighbouring Mizoram.
Large numbers of mourners lined the route as the cortege travelled through Sinzawl village and on towards Thanlon subdivision headquarters along the NEC road.
Valte, who belonged to the Zomi tribal community and hailed from Pherzawl district, was a three-time MLA representing Thanlon in Churachandpur district, a predominantly Kuki-Zo area. First elected in 2012 as a Congress candidate, he later joined the Hindu-right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), winning the seat again in 2017 and 2022.
Floral tributes and prayers were offered at a community hall in Sinzawl, and the body was received by members of the Zomi Council and the Zomi Youth Association, along with community leaders and supporters. His remains are to be kept at his residence in Dorcas Veng to allow the public to pay homage. The funeral service is expected to take place on Tuesday.
Pu Vungzagin Valte will be remembered for his outstanding service to the people of Manipur. He worked diligently towards bringing a positive difference in society. His interventions in the assembly were always insightful. Pained by his passing. Condolences to his family, friends…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 21, 2026
During his 2017–22 term he held multiple ministerial portfolios, including general administration and transport, and also served as an adviser to then-chief minister N Biren Singh.
He was attacked on 4 May 2023 in Imphal’s Nagamapal area, a day after violence erupted between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the largely Christian Kuki-Zo communities. The unrest, which began on 3 May 2023, has since left at least 260 people dead and displaced tens of thousands, many of whom remain in government relief camps. The two communities are now largely separated by securitised buffer zones.
Manipur, which borders Myanmar and lies about 1,700km from the national capital of Delhi, was under direct federal rule for a year since February 2025 after Mr Singh resigned amid criticism that he had failed to halt the bloodshed.
The president’s rule was lifted earlier this month, and Yumnam Khemchand Singh was appointed as the chief minister of the state.
On the day of the assault, Valte had been returning from a high-level meeting chaired by Mr Singh at the chief minister’s office, his son Joseph Valte told The Independent at the time. A mob stopped his vehicle, pulled him out and beat him, leaving him with multiple fractures and severe head injuries that required ventilator support.
“They left him tied up to a rod. Nobody knows who brought him to the hospital,” he said at the time.
His Kuki-Zo driver was killed in the attack, while their Meitei security officer was spared, according to previous reporting. No arrests have been made in connection with the assault.
Following the attack, he was airlifted to Delhi in June 2023 and spent several months in intensive care. A CT scan showed severe nerve damage, leaving him paralysed on his left side. He remained wheelchair-bound and had difficulty speaking.
After nearly two years of treatment in the capital, he returned to Churachandpur in April 2025 accompanied by his wife, but continued to suffer serious health complications. His condition worsened again this month, prompting his transfer to Gurugram.
Valte had publicly supported calls for a separate administration for Kuki-Zo people in the wake of the violence.
Months before his death, he wrote a letter to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi repeating his demand.
“The Zomi-Kuki-Hmar community has been driven out of the state capital (Imphal) and from the valley, leading to complete physical and social divide,” he wrote in a letter dated 13 September 2025.
“In light of this, I humbly request that a separate administration, preferably a union territory with a legislature under the Indian Constitution, be granted to the indigenous tribal community,” he said, according to the letter seen by The Independent. “This would ensure justice, administrative convenience and a lasting solution.”
Kuki-Zo civil society organisations have linked his assault to broader demands for administrative separation.
Prime minister Narendra Modi also offered condolences. In a post on X, he said: “Pu Vungzagin Valte will be remembered for his outstanding service to the people of Manipur. He worked diligently towards bringing a positive difference in society. His interventions in the assembly were always insightful. Pained by his passing. Condolences to his family, friends and supporters.”
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