Manipur musician killing: Injuries to chest, abdomen caused death, reveals autopsy

More than 10 fractured ribs, severe internal bleeding, and bruises around the head, face, and chest: this is what the autopsy report has revealed days after Manipur musician Chongtham Vikram Singh was beaten to death outside his South Delhi home on Sunday night for allegedly objecting to a group of men making loud noises.

The main cause of the 55-year-old musician’s death has been cited as hemorrhagic shock due to injuries caused by ‘blunt force’ on his chest and abdomen, as per the report. According to the family, the incident had occurred around 11.30 pm on Sunday when Singh stepped out of his home in the Kilokari village allegedly to confront the group of men.

Following the assault, Singh's son, Yaiphaba, took him to Holy Family Hospital for treatment where he died early Monday morning, said police. Vineet Kumar, DCP South-East, had said at the time that seven people, most of them working as delivery executives in the nearby area, were arrested and a minor was apprehended.

The seven arrested accused were identified as Bharat Kumar ,19; Pramod, 26; Ramzan Khan, 22; Deepanshu, 21; Mohan Vishwakarma, 32; Vijay, 36, and Mannu, 26. Singh was the lead guitarist of Manipur’s legendary rock band Phoenix in the early 1980s and was regarded as one of the pioneers of the Western music in the state.

He also played a significant role in popularising rock in Manipur. He started his music career as a lead guitarist of the Ultra Vires band. The musician had been living in Kilokari village in South Delhi for several years.

His death shook the Northeast community, which described the incident as an instance of racial violence and raised concerns over the safety of people from the region living in the Capital. Several protest marches were held following the incident to condemn the violence.