Demand for anti-racial violence law grows after Tripura student’s killing in Dehradun

GUWAHATI The killing of a tribal student from Tripura in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun has renewed calls for a dedicated anti-racial violence law in the country. Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA student from Pecharthal in North Tripura, died in a Dehradun hospital on Friday (December 26, 2025), more than a fortnight after he was stabbed by a group of allegedly intoxicated men. According to the Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI), the assailants had abused Anjel and his brother Michael with racial slurs before attacking them. The police have arrested five local residents in connection with the incident, though the prime accused is yet to be apprehended. Urging Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure a fair trial in what it termed a “racially motivated murder”, the CDFI recalled the recommendation for an anti-racial violence law made by a committee constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs after the killing of Arunachal Pradesh youth Nido Tania in Delhi in 2014. “The Uttarakhand police did not act with alacrity. They took three days to register the FIR and did not invoke relevant provisions of law, including Section 109 (attempt to murder) and Section 117(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to grievous hurt by a mob on grounds such as race or caste, as well as provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” CDFI founder Suhas Chakma said on Saturday (December 27, 2025). He added that this delay enabled the prime accused to flee. The organisation said the killing of Anjel Chakma mirrored earlier incidents of racial violence, including the death of Nido Tania, following which the M.P. Bezbaruah Committee had recommended either a standalone law or suitable amendments to existing criminal laws to address such crimes. “The amendments in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 196 on promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, place of birth or language, are inadequate to address racial discrimination and violence faced by people from the northeast,” the CDFI said. The organisation urged the Union Home Ministry to direct the Uttarakhand government to invoke murder charges under Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, ensure the immediate arrest of the prime accused, and provide ₹1 crore as compensation to the victim’s family. It also sought the setting up of a dedicated helpline for people from the Northeast in Dehradun, similar to the Special Police Unit for North-Eastern Region in Delhi. Earlier, Tipra Motha founder and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma had also demanded justice for Anjel Chakma and his family. Published - December 27, 2025 06:48 pm IST

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