Anjel Chakma, a 24 year old MBA student from Tripura, passed away on Friday at a Dehradun hospital, more than two and a half weeks after being attacked in a stabbing incident that was racially incited. The struggle happened on December 9 when Anjel and his younger brother Michael were on a normal grocery errand in the Selaqui locality close to Uttarakhand’s capital. Allegedly, a gang of men insulted the siblings with racial slurs, using abusive terms for them due to their origin in Northeast India.
Racial Slurs, Blows With ‘Kadaa’ And Brutal Beating On Head And Neck
When Anjel calmly claimed his identity, reportedly telling the group, ‘We are not Chinese…we are Indians. What certificate should we show to prove that?’. The confrontation escalated and the men turned physical with the brothers. Anjel got very badly hurt on his neck and spine and was in the hospital for more than 14 days in critical condition before he eventually died from the injuries. The complaint filed by Michael led to the police registering a case on December 12 that, at first, was based on charges related to voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation. December 14 saw the arrest of five suspects out of a total of six, two of them were underage. The runaway prime suspect, who is called Yagya Awasthi, is presumed to have crossed the border into Nepal, and hence, the police have put up a bounty for anyone supplying pertinent information leading to his capture. The police after Anjel’s murder enlarged the FIR to include murder and conspiracy to kill under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which not only reveals the terrible character of the assault but also the fear in the public of racially motivated violence.
Racial Attacks In India 2025
The death of Anjel has brought about a wave of destruction and mourning in the entire region, mainly in Tripura, and in the Northeast, where protests are being conducted and people are demanding justice. In Dehradun and Northeastern states, students have taken up the cause and demanded stronger measures, such as the enactment of a national law specifically for hate crimes resulting from racism. Regional party and youth leaders have condemned the attack, warning that such occurrences can drive people apart, and those who are already marginalized will be the first to suffer. Anjel’s burial in Agartala was a very sorrowful occasion, but it was also the time when people demanded the assurance of no more such tragedies in the future.
