Students from Northeast protest at Jantar Mantar against Anjel Chakma's killing in Dehradun

New Delhi, Dec 30 (PTI) 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 participated in the protest organised under the banner of Northeast Students' Society of Delhi University (NESSDU) and other organisations, 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 December 9. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on December 26.

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.

The protesters alleged that the Uttarakhand Police delayed registering the FIR by three days, and no action had been taken against the officials for the lapse.

They also accused the authorities at the Graphic Era Hospital in Dehradun, where Chakma died during treatment, of failing to inform the police despite his admission to the ICU with serious injuries on the evening of December 9.

The state police instead blamed the victim's family for the “delay” in contacting the police, they said.

They also alleged a cover-up aimed at diluting racial motives, protecting the accused, and blaming the deceased and his family.

“Citing these concerns, the family has sought a CBI inquiry and transfer of the trial to Delhi for witness safety,” the Northeast organisations said in a joint statement.

“We demand that the government create a special dedicated cell of the Uttarakhand Police similar to SPUNER (Special Police Unit for the North-Eastern Region) of the Delhi Police; and create social and educational awareness about the Northeast and its people, history, culture, etc., through community participation and involving prominent personalities,” the statement said.

The protesters claimed the killing was not an isolated incident, recalling the 2024 death of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, in Delhi after an assault linked to comments about his appearance.

“Despite recommendations by the MP Bezbaruah Committee to address racial discrimination, including legal changes, the government of India has not implemented the key measures," a protester said.

The protesters placed a series of demands before the Uttarakhand government and the Centre, including a CBI probe within 48 hours, transfer of the trial to Delhi, strict action against the erring police officers, creation of special police units for the Northeast, fast-track courts, helplines, police sensitisation, educational reforms, and time-bound implementation of all the Bezbaruah Committee recommendations. PTI VBH ARI