The death of Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh, 55, in Delhi has once again raised concerns over crimes against people from the Northeast and the low rate of convictions in such cases.
Singh died on Monday morning after he was allegedly assaulted by a group of men outside his home in southeast Delhi. According to police and family members, Singh went downstairs late on Sunday night after objecting to a group of men who were allegedly creating noise near his residence in Kilokari.
He was attacked and later taken to Holy Family Hospital in Okhla by his son. Singh succumbed to his injuries. The hospital report cited haemorrhagic shock caused by blunt force trauma as the cause of death.
2,656 FIRs, Only 33 Convictions
The crime figures cited during a discussion on crimes against
people from the Northeast in Delhi paint a grim picture. Between 2014 and April 13, 2026, 2,656 FIRs were filed in the national capital in cases involving crimes against people from the Northeast, according to the figures cited by India Today report.
Of these, only 33 cases resulted in convictions, putting the conviction rate at 1.82 per cent.
The figures also showed that investigation was pending in 74 cases, while trial was pending in 771 cases. A total of 1,465 cases were listed as untraced. The discussion also cited 331 cases as “washed”, while a later reference to the figures put the number at 313.
The low conviction rate was described as a matter of concern, with human rights activists arguing that such incidents should be viewed as hate crimes rather than simply as acts of rage.
‘Our Lives Matter’
Author and activist Binalakshmi Nepram, speaking to a news channel, said, “This shows that lives of people from the Northeast don’t matter. But the fact is our lives matter.”
Nepram pointed out that around 45 million people from the Northeast live in the region and highlighted the contribution of the Northeast to the country. She referred to the region’s Olympians, its achievements, the fact that polo was given to the world by the region and its contribution to Indian classical dance.
She questioned why, even after 80 years of India’s independence, the history and diversity of the Northeast had not received greater awareness. Nepram said children should learn to understand the beauty and diversity of the people of the Northeast.
What Is SPUNER?
The Special Police Unit for North-Eastern Region (SPUNER) is a dedicated Delhi Police cell that safeguards individuals from Northeastern states, Darjeeling and Ladakh.
Human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves said he was not surprised by the figures and alleged that the police was scarcely interested in prosecuting such cases.
Gonsalves said SPUNER, headed by a senior officer from the Northeast, was supposed to be established across the country following recommendations, but this had not happened. He said Delhi’s SPUNER unit does reasonably good work and could be successful, but the same situation did not exist across the country.
Delhi Has 1093 Helpline
Activist Alana said Delhi has a special police unit for the Northeastern region, which was constituted after the death of Nido Tania in 2014. She said Delhi also has the 1093 helpline for people from the Northeast, but added that the unit needs to be strengthened.
According to Alana, the unit does not have an allocated budget, functions with limited facilities and does not have the powers of a police station. She said committee recommendations called for similar units to be established in other metropolitan cities and for the 1093 helpline to be nationalised.
