Manipur MLA Vungzagin Valte dies of injuries sustained in 2023 mob attack

CHURACHANDPUR: Vungzagin Valte, a sitting BJP MLA from Manipur’s Thanlon who was brutally assaulted by a mob in Imphal on 4 May 2023, died at 2:19pm at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon on Saturday after prolonged treatment. He was 61.

He is reported to be the first elected representative to lose his life in the communal violence. He is survived by his wife Lalneihmawi, two sons, one daughter, and eight grandchildren.

Valte had remained in critical condition since the attack, undergoing months of intensive care and multiple major surgeries, including extended treatment at Apollo Hospital in Delhi for about one-and-a-half years before returning to Churachandpur. On Feb 7, his health suddenly worsened due to pulmonary edema. He was rushed to the district hospital and, on doctors’ advice, air-lifted to Delhi the next day via an air ambulance from Bir Tikendrajit International Airport, Imphal.



He was admitted to Medanta Hospital and, after roughly 13 days of intensive treatment, died this evening. He is reported to be the first elected representative to lose his life in the communal violence that began in May 2023.

A three-time MLA from Thanlon, Valte was a prominent Kuki-Zo leader known for advocating hill-district tribal interests in Manipur. He first entered the state assembly as a Congress member before switching to BJP and winning the 2022 election with 4,863 votes, a margin of 751 over his nearest rival.

On May 4 2023, while returning from a meeting with then CM N Biren Singh in Imphal, Valte’s convoy was ambushed by a mob. He suffered a severe head injury and remained wheelchair-bound. His driver, Thangjoulal, died two days later at RIMS.

Throughout his recovery, Valte’s statements alternated between calls for a united Manipur and demands for greater autonomy for the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar people, amid continuing ethnic tensions.

The village authorities of Mualnuam, Valte’s birthplace, along with BJP 56 Thanlon Assembly Kendra, have requested state BJP leaders to transport his body via Mizoram so that people in his constituency can pay their last respects before the final rites.

The plea to transport his body through Mizoram was made as communication between hill and valley districts is snapped at the moment.

From a modest childhood in Mualnuam village in Manipur’s Churachandpur district to three consecutive terms as MLA and a cabinet minister, Valte will be remembered as a banker-turned-leader who lit up the hills by bringing electricity to as many 58 villages.

Born on April 3, 1964, he overcame poverty to earn a BA degree and began his career as a research investigator in the state planning department. He later joined the banking sector, serving over two decades in United Bank of India and State Bank of India, where he won multiple national awards, including the coveted SBI Chairman’s Club membership. In 2021, he resigned as chief manager to dedicate himself fully to public service.

His political career took off in 2012 when he was elected MLA from Thanlon. He was re-elected in 2017 and 2022 on a BJP ticket. In 2020, he was inducted as cabinet minister for tribal affairs & hills, GAD, and transport in BJP’s first govt in Manipur led by Biren Singh.

His tenure was marked by electrification of 58 villages, new healthcare facilities, upgraded schools, and road connectivity to 23 previously isolated villages. He also initiated Zomi Nam Ni as a state holiday, underscoring his commitment to cultural identity.