New Delhi: Three days after Vungzagin Valte, BJP MLA from Manipur, was admitted to the Indraprastha Apollo hospital in Delhi after being grievously injured in mob violence, his family’s main grouse is that “no party leader or representative of the central government” has so far checked on him.
On 4 May, Valte, 61, who belongs to Kuki-Zomi tribal community in the north-eastern state, was assaulted in Imphal, allegedly by a mob comprising members of the dominant Meitei community. He was airlifted to Delhi the next day from the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in the state capital where he was first admitted.
A three-time MLA from Thanlon in Pherzawl district and former tribal affairs minister, Valte has received multiple fractures on the left part of his face while his left eye too has been badly damaged, his family told ThePrint Monday. Though showing signs of improvement, Valte is still on ventilator support and is undergoing several life-saving surgeries, his family members said.
“It’s beyond imagination what has happened to my father, one part of his face is nearly mangled and even if he survives, we do not know if can return to a normal life again,” MLA’s 28-year-old son, Joseph Valte told ThePrint.
ThePrint reached BJP national spokesperson and north-east in-charge Sambit Patra for his comment on the family’s allegation but his phone was switched off. This report will be updated when a response is received.
On 3 May, violence erupted in several parts of the state after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised by All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) against a 14 April Manipur High Court order asking the state government to consider the demand of the dominant Meitei community to be included in the Scheduled Tribe list. The state’s 34 tribal groups, which primarily come under the umbrella of the Kuki and Naga tribes, are opposed to the idea.
As many as 54 people have been killed and thousands have been displaced even as Army and the paramilitary Assam Rifles have been deployed across the state, according to reports.
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On 4 May, Vungzagin Valte’s car was stopped by an irate mob when he was returning to his official residence following a meeting with Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, according to his son Joseph Valte.
While his personal security officer, who belongs to the Meitei community, was held by the mob, the BJP MLA and his driver Lalboi Thanghoulal were blindfolded and dragged out of the car, Joseph added.
“They took the two of them to a place some distance from the vehicle and started bashing them with hands, feet, and sticks,” he alleged, adding that the assault went on for nearly 45 minutes. “After the two of them were unconscious, they were probably left for dead,” he claimed.
The driver could not be moved to Delhi for further treatment and succumbed to his injuries in Imphal Sunday, Joseph added.
The MLA’s wife Moinu Valte said that while the family had received full support from CM Biren Singh’s office in arranging for the MLA’s treatment so far, no BJP leader or government functionary has visited him or even called to enquire about his condition.
“It’s quite disappointing, my husband was a minister during the previous tenure of the government,” Moinu said.
‘No one safe if an MLA can be so brutally attacked’
Joseph said that the situation in Manipur was highly volatile.
“If a sitting MLA can be assaulted so badly despite having a PSO with him, you could imagine the plight of commoners,” he said.
The entire family is now bracing for a long and difficult treatment journey for the MLA.
“There is some hope now that he is at least getting stable even though he may take months and years to recover and may need complex plastic surgeries to resurrect the damaged part of his face,” said the distraught son.
He also said that miscreants are circulating fake news on social media about Christians desecrating temples in Manipur, which is triggering tensions between the communities.
Meanwhile, Moinu said that she would only pray for forgiveness for her husband’s attackers. “We do not want anyone else to feel the pain that we are going through,” she said.
(Edited by Anumeha Saxena)
Also Read: Ethnic conflicts to ‘dissent from within’, Manipur CM Biren Singh is fighting many fires