NEW DELHI, 31 Dec: Students from the Northeast on Wednesday staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar here demanding justice for Tripura student Anjel Chakma, who died of a stab injury in Dehradun recently.
Hundreds of students from the Northeast studying in Delhi University participated in the protest organised under the banner of Northeast Students’ Society of Delhi University (NESSDU), demanding a thorough investigation into Chakma’s killing.
Chakma (24) from Unakoti district in Tripura was attacked by a group of six people when he objected to racial slurs hurled at him and his younger brother in Dehradun on 9 December. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on 26 December.
Dehradun police have arrested five of the six accused. One of them, Yagyaraj Awasthi, a resident of Kanchanpur district in Nepal, is absconding.
Speaking to PTI, NESSDU president Pointing Thokchom said, “We demand the case be transferred to the CBI and the family be compensated properly. There should be a law to protect students from the Northeast from racial abuse and attacks.”
Bipul Chakma, vice-president of the All India Chakma Students’ Union, alleged that the Uttarakhand administration delayed the investigation, prompting the students to gather at the Jantar Mantar demanding justice.
“I went to Dehradun on December 11 after Anjel Chakma’s father called me since nobody was helping. I have been a victim of racial abuse myself at DU. We want this vicious cycle of racial abuse and attacks against Northeast students to stop,” he said.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma has condemned the murder of the student.
He said the murder of 24-year-old Anjel Chakma reflects the persistent discrimination and prejudice faced by people from the Northeast in some parts of the country.
“Deeply saddened by the death of a student from Tripura in Dehradun. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. This tragedy highlights the continuing challenges faced by people from the North East in parts of mainland India,” Lalduhoma said in a post on X on Monday.
“Discrimination and racial prejudice have no place in our Constitution, and the rule of law must prevail to ensure justice,” he added. (PTI)
