Indian musician beaten to death for asking to stop noise

A renowned Manipuri guitarist and music teacher, Vikram Singh Chongtham (54), has died after a brutal attack by a group of youths in the Kilokari area of southeast Delhi, India. The murder took place outside his rented flat late on Sunday night. Delhi Police have arrested seven adults and detained a 15-year-old boy in connection with the incident.

According to Indian media reports, Vikram Singh was a renowned guitarist and a pioneer of Western music in Manipur. He had been living in Delhi with his family for the past 17 years and taught music at a private institution.

Police said the altercation began when Vikram Singh went downstairs to dispose of garbage around 11:30pm on Sunday and saw 8-9 employees from two neighbouring eateries making loud noises and creating a disturbance . When he objected, a heated argument broke out. The enraged attackers chased him, and he ran towards his flat on the third floor. However, they cornered him in the corridor and beat him with kicks and punches before fleeing.

He was taken to a private hospital but died around 7am on Monday.

Police identified the suspects using CCTV and technical surveillance. Five of those arrested worked at a dhaba and one at a pizza kiosk.

Following the killing, over a hundred people from northeastern India took to the streets in Kilokari on Monday evening with a candlelight march, demanding swift justice. Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned the incident on social media and demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators .