“I have lost my husband, and my son has lost his father.”

Joshna Chongtham struggled to get through those words on Tuesday as she spoke about her husband, Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh. He was allegedly beaten to death after he objected to a group of men making noise outside his South Delhi home on Sunday night.

She was at Tikendrajit House in Chanakyapuri with Vikram’s brother and a relative to speak on behalf of the family. In a low, soft voice, she read from a statement while wiping away tears.

Recalling that night, Joshna said her husband rushed upstairs to their third-floor home in Kilokari village, chased by eight men who assaulted him before fleeing.

He complained of breathlessness and was rushed to the emergency room at Holy Family Hospital. “His blood pressure was very low… he died around 6 am,” she said.

The family has not been staying at their home since the incident, citing safety concerns.

Joshna thanked those who had supported her family since Vikram’s death. She said she hoped that no other family would have to go through what hers was going through and expressed hope that justice would be done.

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She folded her hands in gratitude before being escorted inside by relatives and members of the Northeast community.

The killing has shaken the community, which described the incident as an instance of racial violence and raised concerns over the safety of people from the region living in the capital.

The family, however, did not allege that a racial slur was used or that the assault was racially motivated.

For many in Manipur, Vikram was a familiar name in the state’s music scene and is remembered as a pioneer of its rock movement. He was the lead guitarist of Phoenix, a prominent band from the 1980s, and later worked as a music teacher in Delhi.

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For a family that had lost a husband and a father barely two days earlier, the brief appearance was also a public appeal: that the circumstances surrounding Vikram’s death be investigated and that those responsible face justice.

The family requested privacy in the time of grief. The body will be flown to Manipur on Tuesday for the final rites.