Manipur’s Deputy Chief Minister, Losii Dikho, traveled to Churachandpur on Monday to stand with the family of the late MLA Vungzagin Valte.
The visit comes in the wake of a long and painful journey for the Valte family. The three-term MLA for Thanlon had been fighting for his life ever since he was brutally attacked by a mob in Imphal back in May 2023, during the early days of the state’s ethnic unrest. Sadly, he passed away on February 21 at a hospital in Gurugram, having never fully recovered from his injuries.
Stepping into the family home, Dikho met with Valte’s wife and sons. In a quiet gesture of respect and shared heritage, he presented a traditional shawl—a symbol of deep honor for the deceased Zomi legislator. Dikho didn’t just come as a representative of the government; he came to offer a shoulder to lean on, assuring the family that they are not alone and that the state is committed to supporting them through this incredibly difficult chapter.
Beyond the personal visit, the Deputy Chief Minister also sat down for a closed-door meeting with leaders of the Zomi Coordination Committee (ZCC) at the Paite Tribe Council Hall. While he kept the specifics of their conversation private, the air was thick with the weight of the community's demands—namely, the push for justice and a more permanent political solution to the conflict that has defined the last few years.
Speaking to the media afterward, Dikho was candid. He mentioned that while "all kinds of problems" continue to stall things like cabinet expansions, the government's focus remains on restoring peace and ensuring that investigations into the 2023 attack are handled with the urgency they deserve.
For a state that has seen so much displacement and loss—at least 260 lives taken and thousands more forced from their homes—this visit served as a reminder of the human cost behind the headlines. Dikho’s message was simple: the road to peace is long, but the government intends to walk it alongside those who have lost the most.