Ailing Kuki-Zo MLA airlifted from Imphal to Delhi

Ailing Kuki-Zo MLA Vungzagin Valte was on Sunday (February 8, 2026) airlifted from Manipur’s capital Imphal to New Delhi for advanced treatment at a private hospital in Gurugram.

Mr. Valte, who represents the Thanlon Assembly constituency for the Bharatiya Janata Party, sustained grievous injuries during the May 2023 ethnic violence in Imphal and had been staying in Churachandpur following prolonged treatment in New Delhi.

A Manipur government spokesperson said his health condition deteriorated on Saturday, (February 7, 2026) following which he was rushed to the Churachandpur Medical College Hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit for stabilisation.

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh monitored Mr. Valte’s health condition throughout the night and sent an advanced life-support ambulance along with a team of doctors from Imphal to Churachandpur around midnight.

“Through teleconferencing, doctors from Imphal remained in constant touch with the medical team at the Churachandpur Medical College Hospital. The Chief Minister arranged an air ambulance to evacuate the MLA, but his condition remained critical during the night,” the spokesperson said.

Mr. Valte was shifted from the Churachandpur hospital around 3 p.m. on Sunday, after his condition showed improvement. The district’s Deputy Commissioner accompanied him while two BJP legislators — Tongbram Robindro Singh and Sanasam Premchandra Singh — escorted him from a village en route to the Imphal airport.

The Chief Minister received Mr. Valte at the Imphal airport around 4.20 p.m. and interacted with members of his family. “I will wait for your return after you have fully recovered,” he told the MLA before seeing him off about 10 minutes later.

This was the first visit of Mr. Valte, albeit in an ambulance, to the Imphal Valley in almost three years since the ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities broke out on May 3, 2023. The conflict left more than 260 people dead and 62,000 others displaced.