A 54-year-old Manipuri guitarist and music teacher died after he was allegedly assaulted by a group of eight people outside his rented flat in southeast Delhi’s Kilokari village late on Sunday, after he objected to a commotion they were creating near his home, police and people familiar with the incident said on Monday.
Seven men have been arrested and a 15-year-old boy apprehended in connection with the killing, police said. The victim, Vikram Singh Chongtham, a well-known guitarist from Manipur, had been working as a private music teacher in Delhi for the past 17 years. He lived with his wife, Joshna Chongtham, 50, and their 20-year-old son, Yaiphaba Chongtham, in a third-floor flat in Kilokari, which falls under Sunlight Colony police station. Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Vineet Kumar said Sunlight Colony police station received a call about the assault at 1.38am on Monday. Police registered a case under sections 103(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Section 103(2) pertains to murder committed by a group of five or more persons acting in concert on specified grounds, including race, caste or community, sex, place of birth, language or personal belief, while Section 3(5) deals with acts committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention. Seven adults were subsequently arrested and a 15-year-old boy was apprehended.
Investigators used CCTV footage, technical surveillance and local intelligence to identify the eight suspects, police said. “With evidence now emerging in connection with the incident, I urge the Delhi Police to take swift and appropriate action, thoroughly investigate the matter, and ensure that justice is delivered at the earliest,” he added.
Chongtham’s family took him to a private hospital in Okhla, where he died during treatment around 7am, according to Sharma.
