NHRC seeks report from Dehradun officials over alleged racial killing of Angel Chakma

The National Human Rights Commission has sought a detailed report from the Dehradun district administration and police over the alleged racially motivated killing of a student from Tripura in Uttarakhand’s capital. The commission has asked the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police to submit an action taken report within seven days.

The NHRC has also directed that copies of the proceedings be sent to the Uttarakhand chief secretary and the director general of police. Along with this, it has instructed authorities to ensure the safety of students from the North Eastern region across the state.

ALSO READ | Who was Angel Chakma? Tripura student stabbed to death in Dehradun after opposing racial abuse

What happened to Angel Chakma?

The case refers to the death of Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old final-year MBA student at a private university in Dehradun. He was allegedly attacked by a group of youths on December 9 and remained hospitalised for 17 days before succumbing to his injuries on December 26. The assault reportedly involved knives and blunt objects.

According to Anjel’s father, who is a Border Security Force jawan currently posted in Manipur’s Tangjeng, the incident occurred when his son intervened to protect his younger brother. The brother was allegedly abused with racial slurs by the attackers, who reportedly referred to the siblings as “Chinese” and “Chinese momo”. When Anjel objected and said that he was Indian, the attackers allegedly turned violent.

ALSO READ | Shashi Tharoor calls killing of Tripura youth in Uttarakhand a ‘national disgrace’

Taking cognisance of the matter under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, an NHRC bench headed by member Priyank Kanoongo noted that the complaint pointed to a racially motivated attack on a student from the North East studying outside his home state. The commission observed that the victim was allegedly targeted with racial slurs and assaulted after asserting his identity as an Indian citizen.

As per reports, the NHRC described the allegations as a prima facie violation of the victim’s right to life, dignity, and equality. It also noted concerns about deep-rooted racial discrimination against people from the North East and an alleged failure of local authorities to prevent such violence or provide adequate protection.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke to Anjel Chakma’s father on Monday and assured him that strict action would be taken against those responsible. Political leaders from different parties have also called for stronger and long-term measures to address hate crimes against people from the North-Eastern states.