Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh, 54, died of massive internal bleeding caused by severe trauma to his chest and abdomen after he was allegedly assaulted by a group of men in southeast Delhi, according to his post-mortem report.
Vikram was allegedly attacked after confronting a group over noise and commotion outside his house in Kilokari village at around 11:30 pm on Sunday.
According to police, the accused kicked and punched Singh, repeatedly assaulting his chest and abdomen even after he fell to the ground.
Dr Sudhir Gupta, Chief of Forensic Medicine at AIIMS, said the musician died from severe physical assault to the chest and abdomen that resulted in massive bleeding.
The AIIMS post-mortem found fractures of the first to 11th ribs on the left side and the sixth to ninth ribs on the right, with bleeding and blood clots around the fractures. A laceration to the spleen was also detected.
Vikram was taken to Holy Family Hospital at around 12:25 am and reached the hospital around 1:30 am, police said. Although he initially responded to treatment, his condition later deteriorated following a haemorrhage and he died at around 6:32 am.
Police have arrested seven men and apprehended a juvenile in connection with the case. The arrested accused have been identified as Bharat Kumar, 19, Pramod, 26, Ramzan Khan, 22, Deepanshu, 21, Mohan Vishwakarma, 32, Vijay, 36, and Mannu, 26.
Police said the accused told investigators they wanted to “teach him a lesson” after Singh objected to the noise outside his residence but did not anticipate that the assault would prove fatal.
Vikram had reportedly complained several times to the owner of a nearby dhaba about noise generated by people gathering there. Police said no formal complaint had been lodged by him over the issue. The dhaba reportedly remained open until around midnight and attracted customers as well as students staying in the locality.
In his complaint, Singh’s 20-year-old son Yaiphaba said he heard his father shouting and, on opening the door, saw a group of men kicking and punching him. Singh later returned upstairs but complained of breathlessness before being taken to hospital. Police are also examining whether the assault had any racial motive. A police source said the investigation so far has not found evidence of racial slurs being used against Singh during the altercation.
An FIR registered at Sunlight Colony police station on the complaint of Singh’s son includes Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to murder in circumstances covered by the provision.
