DU scholar Heya Wangnao dies in accident; four injured

NEW DELHI – Eli T. Heya Wangnao, a PhD scholar in Psychology at the University of Delhi and the daughter of NSCN-IM vice-chairman Tongmeth Wangnao, died in an accident in the early hours of Monday, 9 November. Four other people were injured in the same accident.

The details come from condolence messages issued by two Naga student bodies in the capital: the Naga Students’ Union Delhi (NSUD) and the Tangkhul Katamnao Long Delhi (TKLD). Neither said where the accident took place, what kind of accident it was, or who the injured were.

In a message dated 10 November, the NSUD called her death “a profound loss, particularly to her family, loved ones and the wider Naga community.”

“A young, bright and promising scholar pursuing her PhD in Psychology at the University of Delhi, her life was cut short far too soon,” said the message, signed by NSUD president Chipika Zhimo and general secretary Yurngam A Shimray.

The union also offered prayers for the four injured and wished them “a speedy recovery.” It said it stood in solidarity with her father, his family “and all those affected by this tragic incident.”

The TKLD, the Tangkhul students’ union in Delhi, issued its own message on 9 November, the day of the accident. It described her as “a young, bright and promising scholar gone too soon” and said it stood “in solidarity” with the family “at this hour of profound grief.” That message was signed by TKLD president Zanngasung Zimik and general secretary Wormingam Chithung.

Both bodies prayed that God would give the family strength to bear what each called an “irreparable loss.”

Her father, Tongmeth Wangnao, is vice-chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), which refers to itself as the NSCN/GPRN. He was elected to the post in February 2019 after the death of Khole Konyak, and has since spoken for the group at public events, including its 46th Raising Day at Camp Hebron in January 2025.

The NSUD, founded in 1963 and based at Nagaland House in New Delhi, is the umbrella body of Naga students in the capital. The TKLD, set up in 2003, is affiliated to it.

Nagaland.News could not independently confirm the place or circumstances of the accident, or the condition of those injured. Funeral arrangements had not been announced at the time of publishing.

Nagaland.News extends its condolences to the bereaved family.