Guwahati, Dec 27: The Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) on Saturday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure a fast-track trial in a designated court in the racially motivated murder of Anjel Chakma, a Scheduled Tribe student from Tripura, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

The organisation also renewed its demand for a separate anti-racial violence law, as recommended by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ MP Bezbaruah Committee, to address rising attacks on people from the Northeast.

Separately, activists affiliated with the Students and Youth wing of the Tipra Motha Party appealed to the Union Home Minister to ensure proper safety and security for students from the Northeast temporarily residing in mainland Indian cities for education and employment.

The appeals follow the death of Anjel Chakma, a student from Agartala, who succumbed to his injuries on December 26, 2025, at Graphic Era Hospital, after battling for life for over two weeks.

In a press statement, the CDFI said that on December 9, Anjel Chakma and his younger brother Michael Chakma had gone to Selakui Market to buy groceries when a group of local youths allegedly harassed them without provocation, targeting them for their physical appearance.

The assailants reportedly used racial slurs such as “Nepali”, “Chinese”, “Chinki”, and “momos”. When the brothers objected, the group allegedly turned violent.
Activists of Tipra Motha’s Youth and Students’ wing echoed the account. “A quarrel broke out after the assailants hurled racial slurs at Michael and Angel. When they protested against the offensive remarks, the group attacked them,” said Sajra Debbarma, an activist of the party’s youth wing.
According to Debbarma, when Angel saw his brother being overpowered, he parked his motorcycle and ran forward to protect him.

“The armed miscreants then stabbed Angel indiscriminately, while Michael suffered a serious head injury. The attackers fled the spot, leaving both brothers bleeding profusely,” he said.

CDFI founder Suhas Chakma alleged serious lapses by the Uttarakhand Police, claiming that the FIR was registered three days after the incident and that relevant provisions—such as Sections 109 (attempt to murder) and 117(4) (grievous hurt by a mob on grounds including race or caste) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act—were not invoked initially. “These failures enabled the prime accused to flee; he has not been arrested yet,” Chakma said.

The CDFI noted that Anjel Chakma’s death echoes the earlier racial killing of Nido Tania in Delhi, after which the M.P. Bezbaruah Committee was constituted. In 2014, the committee recommended either a new law or amendments to existing penal provisions to deal specifically with racial violence.

Terming recent amendments in the BNS—particularly Sections 196 and 197—insufficient to address racial discrimination and violence against people from the Northeast, the CDFI reiterated its call for a separate, comprehensive law.

The organisation also urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to direct the Uttarakhand government to invoke murder charges under Section 103(2) of the BNS, 2023, along with provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act; ensure the immediate arrest of the prime accused; establish a dedicated helpline for Northeast citizens in Dehradun on the lines of the Special Police Unit for North-Eastern Region (SPUNER); initiate an inquiry into lapses at Selakui Police Station; and provide compensation of ₹1 crore to Anjel Chakma’s next of kin, along with compensation for injuries suffered by Michael Chakma.

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