Zomi Council emphasises that justice for Pu Vungzagin Valte cannot be reduced to individual prosecution alone.
Manipur BJP MLA Valte’s final rites on hold
Local people are demanding Churachandpur to be renamed as 'Lamka District' and also that the fast track NIA inquiry to be completed at the earliest.
Churachandpur is named after an erstwhile Meitei ruler and this is now disapproved by the Kuki-Zo communities.
"Officials including security forces are all trying to convince the locals to complete the funeral," a source said.
Writing on the wall : Churachandpur
Family members of the late MLA are also understood to be in consultation with civil society organisations.
Days after Manipur BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte passed away at a private hospital in Gurugram, his mortal remains continue to be kept at the Churachandpur district morgue, as tribal bodies have indicated that the burial will not take place immediately amid renewed political demands.
An official confirmed on Thursday that Valte’s body was shifted to the district morgue on Wednesday afternoon.
An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted.
A functionary of a Zomi civil organisation said that even if the post-mortem is completed, the burial is unlikely to take place immediately.
“In view of the recent developments, our demand for separate administration remains key before anything proceeds further. Meetings will be held with frontal civil bodies to decide the next course of action,” the functionary said.
Several tribal organisations held a candlelight vigil in Churachandpur district on Wednesday night, Feb 25th reiterating their demand for a Union Territory with legislature for the hill areas.
Demonstrators raised slogans seeking justice and demanded that the probe into the May 4, 2023 attack on Valte be handed over to the CBI or the NIA.
The 56-Thanlon legislator’s mortal remains were airlifted to Mizoram on February 22 and later brought to his residence in Churachandpur district on February 24.
Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla paid his last respects by laying a wreath and draping the body with a traditional shawl at the residence.
Meanwhile, the Zomi Council, the apex body of the Zomi tribe in the district, stated that it would determine the course of action regarding the burial.
The delay in conducting the final rites has added a fresh political dimension to the situation, with tribal groups linking the funeral to broader demands for separate administration and a credible investigation into the 2023 attack that left the senior legislator critically injured.
Zomi Council emphasises that justice for Pu Vungzagin Valte cannot be reduced to individual prosecution alone. While criminal accountability is essential, the root causes of the violence lie in long-standing political grievances and structural imbalances. The only durable pathway to justice and peace is the finalisation of the long-standing political demands of the Zo ethnic tribes through a meaningful political settlement.
Ensuring honourable and dignified political autonomy for the Zo hill tribes is not a matter of political accommodation or concession.
"It is a historical right grounded in constitutional principles and decades of political assertion. Political autonomy is essential to guarantee security, self-governance, cultural preservation, and protection from systemic marginalisation," the Zomi Council said.
The Zomi Council, therefore, demands:
-- Time-bound engagement by the Government of India to address and fulfill the political aspirations of the Zo hill tribes, to ensure concrete constitutional and administrative measures for a genuine political autonomy and security for the Zo hill tribes of Manipur.
"We also demand the speeding up of the ongoing CBI enquiry into the unfortunate attack on Shri Vungzagin Valte vide case file number RC 5/2023. The manner and circumstances of the unfortunate attack on his life on the fateful day of 04th May, 2023 raises many doubts and unanswered questions; his driver Mr. Thanghoulal unfortunately succumbed to his injuries the very same day," the Council said in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"It is our demand that the case be speeded up impartially and book the culprits and all those responsible as per law of the land in a time bound manner.
"Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice denied to Pu Vungzagin Valte is justice denied to the Zo people. Peace cannot be restored through temporary arrangements or administrative adjustments. It requires structural correction, constitutional clarity, and political courage.
The Zomi Council reiterates that without an honourable political settlement guaranteeing dignified autonomy for the Zo hill tribes, there can be no lasting peace."
ends
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