New Delhi: Asking a group of men, mostly workers at a dhaba, to tone down the noise at the eatery allegedly led to the murder of 55-year-old Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh in southeast Delhi’s Kilokari village in Sept, according to a chargesheet filed by Delhi Police at Saket Court.Cops have chargesheeted seven people under Sections 61 (criminal conspiracy), 103(2) (murder by a group of five or more people), 103(1) (murder) and 332(a) (trespass with intent to commit an offence) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A preliminary investigation report naming a 15-year-old has also been filed before Juvenile Justice Board.The seven are Bharat Kumar (19), Pramod (26), Deepanshu (21) and Mohan Vishwakarma (32), all of whom work at a dhaba near the musician’s house; Ramzan Khan (22) and Vijay (36), employed at other eateries; and Mannu (26), who works at a pizza kiosk.Police sources said the chargesheet runs to more than 300 pages and lists over 20 eyewitnesses, whose accounts played an important role in corroborating the evidence. CCTV footage also proved crucial in the investigation. To establish the identities of the suspects, police sent the footage for laboratory analysis and superimposition with their images, which helped confirm their involvement.Vikram Singh, who used to run a music school in Delhi, was part of popular bands in Manipur. He was the son of renowned classical vocalist Chongtham Ongbi Kamala Devi and cousin of Lakshmipriya Devi, director of India’s first BAFTA Award-winning film, ‘Boong’.The complainant, his 20-year-old son, told police that some of the attackers had allegedly threatened his father previously over his objections to noise emanating from the nearby dhaba.At 11.30 pm on Sept 6, Singh was allegedly being punched and kicked when his son rushed out of their house after hearing his father’s cries. He raised an alarm, prompting the attackers to flee.The son told police that he had seen the faces of the attackers and could identify them if they were brought before him. While being taken to hospital in a taxi, Singh allegedly told him that they had come from a dhaba opposite their house.Singh was admitted to hospital in an unconscious state and was declared unfit to give a statement. He died during treatment the next morning, according to police records.His son, who is pursuing a BA LLB degree at college in Noida, told police that his father had not been working for the past seven to eight years and mostly stayed at home.
