Tripura MBA student Anjel Chakma 'killed' in fight over racial slurs; incident sparks outrage

Tripura was engulfed in grief and anger on Saturday (December 28) as the body of a young tribal student, who died after being brutally attacked in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district, was brought back to the state.

Anjel Chakma, a final-year MBA student at Jigyasa University in Dehradun, had been fighting for his life for 17 days in hospital after sustaining critical injuries in a violent assault earlier this month. And sadly, he lost his life on Friday.

Murder charges

The 24-year-old youth, who was the son of a BSF constable, had allegedly received blows to his head and back with a sharp object and a 'kadaa' (bracelet) following a quarrel with 5-6 people at the canteen on December 9, they said.

Murder charges have been added to the FIR after his death and five people have been apprehended for the incident, police said. Another accused who was from Nepal may have fled to his native country, they said.

What really happened

According to the police, on December 9 in in Dehradun's Selaqui area, Anjel and his brother Michael Chakma, a student of Uttaranchal University, stepped out to buy groceries.

Reports said that a group of unidentified youths, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, targeted the brothers with racial abuse linked to their physical appearance. The attackers allegedly used slurs along with other local insults.

Also read: Tripura man arrested in Bengaluru for insulting Kannadigas

When the brothers objected to the derogatory remarks, the situation quickly escalated into violence. The accused have been identified as Suraj Khwas (22), Avinash Negi (25) and Sumit (25) and others.

Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh told reporters that the group was allegedly talking among themselves and were arguing about something. "It seemed as if someone was commenting on him (Angel)," he said.

A fight broke out in the confusion and the student was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon and a 'kadaa', the SSP said.

Police said Angel was seriously injured in the fight and was then taken to the hospital.

Arrests

The victim's side filed a complaint with the police on December 10, based on which, a case was registered and police started an investigation. On December 14, police arrested three accused and detained two minors.

Widespread outrage

Anjel’s body was flown to Agartala via Delhi on Saturday, where grieving family members, along with leaders of the Youth Tipra Federation (YTF) and the Tribal Indigenous Students’ Federation (TISF), received him at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport.

Also read: DU student from Tripura, missing for 6 days, found dead in Yamuna

From there, the body was taken to his residence in Nandanagar, where a large crowd gathered to pay their final respects. Later, it was transported to his native village in Unakoti district for the last rites.

The tragic incident has triggered widespread outrage. The victim’s family, supported by several student organisations, has demanded strict punishment for those involved in the assault.

They have also urged the central government to take decisive measures to combat what they described as the ongoing issue of racial discrimination faced by youths from the North-Eastern region across the country.

Students' Union condemn attack

Meanwhile, the Delhi Chakma Students’ Union and Naga Students’ Union, Delhi have strongly condemned the racially motivated attack that led to the death of Anjel.

Both organisations demanded a fair, transparent probe and the immediate arrest of the absconding main accused.

Racism against north-east students cannot be ignored. Justice delayed is justice denied, and impunity in such cases only emboldens further acts of racial violence, said the letter by the Naga Students' Union in Delhi. Further, it said, "this heinous act is not merely an attack on one individual, but a chilling reminder of the persistent racial discrimination and violence faced by students from the north-east from different parts of the country".

(With inputs from agencies)