On 3 May 2023,
ethnic violence broke out between the
Meitei and
Kuki-Zo (or "Kuki") communities in the state. The Kuki-Zo people living in the Meitei-dominated
Imphal Valley bore the brunt of the violence, with 18 people getting killed on 3 May and 33 people the next day. According to the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights (KOHUR), most Kuki-Zo colonies in the
Imphal City were attacked on the night of 3 May, partially burnt down and the residents driven out. The following day, Valte attended a meeting called by the chief minister
N. Biren Singh in the secretariat, where he is reported to have argued for the safety and transport of the Kuki-Zo people fleeing Imphal. He received a government order addressing the issues, with which he was returning to his official residence. On the way, his car was stopped by a group of people wearing black clothes, whom Valte later described as "Meitei militia", widely understood to be
Arambai Tenggol militias. He returned to Churachandpur on 18 April 2025, bound in a wheel chair. Talking to Press, he emphasised that the path to peace in Manipur lies in granting autonomy to the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar people through Union Territory status. He expressed unwillingness to sit with the Meiteis at the negotiation table. He also thanked the Ministry of Home Affairs for establishing buffer zones between Kuki-Zo- and Meitei-dominated areas. Valte continued to suffer from complications due to the life-threatening injuries suffered during the attack. On 8 February 2026, he was airlifted Delhi again and taken to a private hospital in
Gurugram. He died in hospital on 20 February 2026. == References ==