Kolkata: Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Thursday assured the family of Chongtham Vikram Singh, the 55-year-old gifted musician who was killed by rowdies in Delhi, that justice would be delivered in the case soon.Visiting Vikram’s family with local MLA Khumukcham Joykishan, Khemchand inquired about the health and well-being of Vikram’s family, particularly his wife, Jyotsana, and son, Yaifaba.He also interacted with Vikram’s mother, Chongtham Ongbi Kamala Devi, 86, often referred to as the “Nightingale of Manipur”, and father, Dr Birendra Singh, 96, who previously worked with the state veterinary department.“All necessary actions are being taken up to ensure swift justice, and I have already apprised Delhi CM Rekha Gupta to deliver swift justice in this case and to safeguard Manipuri and northeast students, workers and residents across Delhi,” Khemchand was quoted as saying.Reacting to Vikram’s murder, Wangkhei constituency MLA Arunkumar Thangjam said, “I’m shocked by this great loss of an innocent life. I will definitely do something to help the family and will appeal to the govt to provide some form of compensation to help the grieving family.”Vikram’s brother, Vivek, said, “We are in a deep shock now. We, including my aged parents and remaining siblings, are worried about our sister-in-law (Jyotsana) and her son. The CM told us to communicate with the govt for any related issues through the local MLA.”Quoting his mother Kamala, Vivek said, “We suffered a huge loss, but apart from justice under the law, we are not seeking anything. Right now, we are only worried about my daughter-in-law and grandson, who eventually will have to return to the national capital for their work and studies.”Naba Volcano, a popular singer from Manipur and hailing from the same locality as Vikram, said, “Vikram was a gifted guitarist. As a child, he asked his parents to buy a guitar and played songs on it even without any formal training. I had the opportunity of performing with him and his band ‘Traffic Jam’ in Delhi. His death is a loss not only for his family or Manipur but also for the nation and the music world.”Volcano added, Vikram was also a child actor in the first full-length Manipuri film ‘Matam gi Manipur’, which is also the first Manipuri film to get a national award — President’s Medal (Rashtriya Chalchitra Purashkar) at the 20th National Film Awards.
