Tripura student murder: Uttarakhand's image hit by incident, says Cong

Dehradun, Dec 30 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday said the brutal murder of Tripura student Anjel Chakma here has tarnished Uttarakhand's image in the country and the world.

In a statement issued here, Uttarakhand Congress vice president Suryakant Dhasmana said though Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke to Chakma's father and extended his condolences, he should also have apologised to him on behalf of the entire state.

He said Dhami should also assure people from other parts of the country that such an incident will not happen again in the state.

Chakma (24), from Unakoti district of Tripura, was attacked by a group of six people when he objected to racial slurs hurled at him and his younger brother by them on December 9. Chakma succumbed to his injuries at the hospital on December 26.

Dehradun police have arrested five of the six accused. One of them, Yagyaraj Awasthi, a resident of Kanchanpur district of Nepal, is absconding.

Dhasmana said, "We express our condolences to the family of Anjel Chakma and apologise to them for the fact that their son lost his life due to racial violence in our state." He demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and that the perpetrators be given the strictest punishment.

Thousands of students come to Dehradun to study and contribute significantly to the state's economy. If such violent incidents take place, students from other states will stop coming to Dehradun, bringing disrepute to the state, the Congress leader said. PTI DPT DIV DIV