Many more condemn murder of Ch Vikram
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 09 2026: Peeved and frustrated over the hardships faced by people from the North East outside the region, more organisations have condemned the killing of Chongtham Vikram, a music teacher, in Delhi.

"NE people feel unsafe"

NESO, in a statement, said that North Eastern citizens living outside the region have been subjected to racial slurs, verbal abuse, physical attacks, social discrimination and other forms of humiliation because of their appearance, identity and place of origin for years.

Saying that the loss of Chongtham Vikram is not only a personal tragedy for his family but also a matter of deep concern for the entire North Eastern community, NESO urged the relevant authorities to take the matter with utmost seriousness and urgency.

Demanding justice for Vikram, the Organisation said that investigation of the case must be transparent and no individual involved in the crime should be allowed to evade accountability.

At the same time, NESO urged the Government and law enforcement agencies to recognise and address the broader problem of racial discrimination and violence against people from the North East.

"Racist attack"

A joint meeting of the Manipur Students' Association Delhi (MSAD), Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC), People's Progressive Alliance Manipur (PPAM), Human Rights Alert (HRA), Karwan-e-Mohabbat (KeM) and North East India Support Centre and Helpline (NEISCH) claimed that Vikram was killed in a "racist attack" .

These organisations held a joint meeting at Sarvodaya Enclave, New Delhi yesterday, during which they emphasised that the murder of Vikram must not be viewed merely as an isolated or private criminal act.

They, in a press note, said that the excruciating pain caused by such "racist violence" inflicted upon the people from the North East with "disturbing regularity" represents a collective trauma shared by the people of the region.

The Organisations further said that the case of Vikram is particularly concerning as the MP Bezbaruah Committee, constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, submitted a series of recommendations in 2014 to address discrimination and violence faced by the people from North East.

Most of the recommendations, including the recommendation to criminalise racists act either through a new statute or by amending existing law remain unimplemented, it said.

Saying that the murder of Vikram must not be allowed to become another statistic in the long and painful history of racial violence, they urged the relevant authorities to ensure a transparent and thorough investigation and bring all those responsible to justice.

These Organisations also demanded that immediate and concrete measures be taken up to prevent the recurrence of racist violence against the people of North East.

Moreover, they urged the Government to provide appropriate support, protection and compensation to the family of Vikram, including protection from further victimisation.

"Genuine issue"

Joram Maivio Woba, Special Invitee to the Monitoring Committee, MHA, and member of the Bezbaruah Committee, MHA, also expressed serious concern and stressed that the issues faced by people from the North East are genuine, and as such the Government must act decisively to address them.

"The issues faced by people from the North East are chronic and recurring.

There is no quick-fix solution, but by denying the reality, we cannot solve the problem.

We must acknowledge that there is a genuine problem, and the Government must continue to act decisively to address it and prevent such incidents," Maivio said.

Saying that the killing of Chongtham is "deeply painful and completely unacceptable," Maivio stressed that justice must be delivered, and strong preventive measures must be enforced to ensure that such tragic and unjust acts are never repeated in the future.

The All Manipur Gorkha Students' Union (AMGSU), Manipur Gorkha Welfare Union, Burari Meetei Club, Delhi and Manipur People's Party also condemned the killing of Vikram and demanded justice.

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