A young student from Tripura died in the early hours of Friday after battling for life for more than two weeks in a hospital in Uttarakhand following a brutal attack. The deceased, Anjel Chakma, was a final-year MBA student at Jigyasa University in Dehradun.
The incident took place on the evening of December 9 in the Selaqui area of Dehradun, when Anjel and his younger brother, Michael Chakma, a student of Uttaranchal University, had gone out to buy groceries. According to Michael, a group of intoxicated men stopped them and began abusing them based on their appearance. He said the attackers used racial slurs such as “Nepali”, “Chinese”, “Chinki” and “momos”, along with other local abuses.
Michael said that when the brothers protested against the insults, the group became violent. “They started beating us. I was hit on the head with a kada, and my brother was stabbed in the neck and stomach,” he said in a statement. Anjel was rushed to the ICU at a private hospital in Dehradun, where he remained under treatment until he died around 4 am on Friday.
A local student, Binod Chakma, said the attackers had threatened to kill both brothers during the assault. He also claimed that the accused belonged to influential families. Police have arrested five people so far in connection with the case. They have been identified as Avinash Negi, Shaurya Rajput, Suraj Khawas, Ayush Badoni and Sumit. Police said one more accused, a minor, is absconding and is believed to have fled to Nepal. A reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced for information leading to his arrest.
After Anjel’s death, the police have upgraded the case to murder. Confirming this, SP Rural Pankaj Gairola said, “The student had sustained stab injuries in the December 9 incident and was undergoing treatment since then. With his death, the case has now been converted to murder. Five accused are in custody, and efforts are on to arrest the remaining accused.”
Tipra Motha Party chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarman condemned the killing and expressed grief over Anjel’s death. “While the whole world was celebrating Christmas, we lost Anjel Chakma in the early hours. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. We demand justice for the departed soul,” he said.
