The grieving father of Tripura student Anjel Chakma, who died after an alleged racist attack in Dehradun, has appealed for justice, saying no parent should have to lose a child in this manner.
Speaking to India Today, Tarun Prasad Chakma, a Border Security Force jawan, posted in Tangjeng in Manipur, said that the accused deserve capital punishment.
“My child is gone. This should not happen to anyone else,” he said. “We are devastated. Our only request is that no other child should die like this.”
Tarun said his son was “brutally attacked” with knives and blunt objects when he tried to defend his brother, who faced racial slurs and was called “Chinese” by the attackers.
Tarun alleged that police initially refused to register a report about the incident and only filed an FIR two to three days later after pressure from All India Chakma Students Union and senior officers. The attackers called his sons “Chinese momo” and other racial slurs, 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, the devastated father said.
Anjel, a final year MBA student, died on Friday after fighting for his life for 17 days in the hospital. Police said the 24-year-old man had allegedly received blows to his head and back with a sharp object and a ‘kadaa’ (bracelet) following a quarrel with 5-6 people at a canteen on December 9.
Five people have been arrested, while another accused, who was from Nepal, may have fled to his native country, they said.
Tarun said it was a brutal murder. “Anjel’s neck was broken in the attack, which led to his death.”
According to Tarun, his sons, Anjel and Michael, had gone to the market when a scooter and a motorcycle, carrying six people, stopped near them.
Tarun said Anjel was sitting on his motorcycle, while Michael was standing nearby when the accused said something to Michael and suddenly pushed him to the ground. Anjel objected to this, after which they started hurling abuses at him, Tarun said.
When Anjel confronted, they started hurling abuses at him. “After that, they brutally attacked him with knives and blunt objects, severely injuring his neck and back,” he said.
On Saturday, Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh told reporters that the accused group of six people was allegedly talking among themselves and arguing about something. “It seemed as if someone was commenting on him (Anjel),” he said.
Police said a complaint was filed on December 10, based on which, a case was registered and police started an investigation. On December 14, police arrested three accused and detained two minors.
NCST seeks report: As outrage continued to mount over the death of Anjel, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes served notices to Uttarakhand DGP, Dehradun DM, and Dehradun SP, seeking a report on the action taken in the brutal murder of the student.
Leaders of North Eastern states, including Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma and former Manipur CM N Biren Singh, condemned the incident and demanded stern action against the perpetrators.
Candlelight vigil: Various youth and students’ organisations Sunday organised a candlelight march in Agartala.
Demanding justice for Anjel, the candle march, organised by Tipra Indigenous Students Federation along with other organisations, urged Centre to enact stringent laws to ensure safety and protection of people from North East living in different parts of the country.