'National disgrace', say leaders calling for zero tolerance against 'hate crimes' targeting NE people after killing of Tripura student

Dehradun, Dec 29 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke to the father of the student from Tripura, who was killed in an alleged racial attack here, on phone on Monday and assured strict punishment to the accused, as leaders cutting across political lines called for comprehensive efforts to end "hate crimes" against the people from the northeastern states.

Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders targeted the BJP, alleging that the murder of MBA student Anjel Chakma, 24, was a fallout of the ruling dispensation "normalising" hate and encouraging a "divisive mindset". Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav demanded that the Supreme Court step in and ensure justice.

Former Union minister Shashi Tharoor said the brutal killing "is a national disgrace", and political and religious leaders must speak out against the abuse of the people from the Northeast as "silence is complicity".

Union minister Kiren Rijiju expressed "dismay and anger" over the killing and called upon the people to fight against such "mindset" together, saying any such incident is "very shameful" and harms the country. He said the issue should not be politicised.

Asked about Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders holding the BJP responsible for the incident, Rijiju said, "Be it a yougster coming from the north east, Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal... a student from any of the states in the country, we are all Indians. Every one should be sad with any such incident happening with anyone from any part of the country. This is not a matter on which politics should be done." "Be it the northeast or in any other part of the country, why should anyone from other region be subjected to such discrimination on the lines of race, religion, caste and looks." AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said the country needs strict action and a national law against racism and hate crimes. "Justice must be swift and exemplary," he said on X. Speaking in the same vein, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi demanded that the case be investigated in a time-bound manner and the guilty be given the harshest punishment to convey a message across the country that there is zero tolerance for such crimes.

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said Union Home Minister Amit Shah must speak up against the hate crimes. In a post on X, he said the murder is "a shocking display of a hate crime, of bigotry, of the silence of our leaders in government who by their inaction are complicit." Gandhi said on X, "What happened to Anjel Chakma and his brother Michael in Dehradun is a horrific hate crime. Hate doesn't appear overnight. For years now, it has been fed daily -- especially to our youth -- through toxic content and irresponsible narratives. And it's being normalised by the hate-spewing leadership of the ruling BJP." Tharoor said the Northeast is "not a distant appendage to the Indian identity; it is central to it. Yet, people from the region are routinely subjected to racial profiling, exclusion, and abuse. This must end".

"We must demand justice ... not only in the courts, but in the conscience of the nation. His death must not be reduced to a statistic or a fleeting headline.

"It must ignite a movement for education, empathy, and reform. Schools must teach the histories and cultures of all Indian communities. Media must portray Northeast Indians with dignity. And society must unlearn its biases," the Congress MP said on X, and called for building "a society where no Indian is made to feel foreign in their own land".

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said this tragedy highlights the "continuing challenges faced by people from the Northeast in parts of mainland India. Discrimination and racial prejudice have no place in our Constitution, and the rule of law must prevail to ensure justice".

Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma said the death of the student from Tripura "following brutal racial abuse in Dehradun is heartbreaking and unacceptable" and urged Dhami to ensure strict action against the culprits so that justice is served.

Dhami, in his phone conversation with Anjel Chakma's father, Tarun Prasad Chakma, said he is saddened by the incident and that the state government stands with the victim's family.

The chief minister said that children from India and abroad come to Uttarakhand to study, and such an environment has never existed here before. Dhami said that the government will take strict action in this matter.

He told Tarun Prasad Chakma that five accused have been arrested in connection with the incident, while another accused is suspected to have fled to Nepal, and efforts are being made to arrest him by declaring a reward.

The chief minister also said that he has spoken to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding the incident, and assured all possible assistance from the Uttarakhand government.

Anjel Chakma, a final-year MBA student at a private university here, was seriously injured when he was allegedly attacked by some youngsters with a knife and a bracelet on December 9. He died on December 26, after being hospitalised for 17 days.

His father, a BSF jawan currently posted in Tangjeng in Manipur, had alleged that his son was "brutally attacked" when he tried to defend his brother who faced racial slurs and was called "Chinese" by the attackers.

The assailants called his sons "Chinese momo" and abused him, the father of the victim told PTI over the phone. Anjel told them that he "was also Indian, not Chinese" but they attacked him with knives and blunt objects, he said.

"It is shameful that such incidents are taking place in our country. Who are these people to question anyone's nationality? Even if there is doubt, one should go and complain to the local police," AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said.

In a statement issued from the Samajwadi Party headquarters, Akhilesh Yadav said, "A divisive mindset is taking lives every day and such elements, enjoying political patronage, are flourishing like poisonous weeds." He claimed that such negative forces posed a serious threat to the country, its unity and integrity.

Yadav said it was imperative for peace-loving and harmony-driven citizens to unite, identify such anti-social elements within the society and socially boycott them, warning that otherwise anyone could become a victim of such violence in future.

In Tripura, Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma announced a Rs 10 lakh cash reward for any information leading to the arrest of the main accused.

Debbarma's announcement came days after the Uttarakhand Police declared a Rs 25,000 cash reward for the arrest of the main accused.

Meanwhile, Tipra Motha Party (TMP)-run Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the family members of the student.

Candle light marches were held by students' organisations and locals in Dehradun and in Agartala demanding justice for Anjel Chakma. PTI DPT AO PS SSG KIS SHS RT