Agartala, Dec 31: Tripura’s ruling BJP ally, the Tipra Motha Party, on Wednesday issued a sharp rebuke to the Centre over the killing of Angel Chakma in Dehradun, questioning its commitment to the safety, dignity and rights of citizens from the Northeast living outside the region.
Addressing a press conference in Agartala, Tipra Motha spokesperson Anthony Debbarma condemned the incident as a case of “systematic racial discrimination” and expressed serious concern over the handling of the case by the Uttarakhand Police, calling it a gross failure of the state machinery.
The remarks came as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Uttarakhand government, seeking an action-taken report in connection with the murder of Angel Chakma, a 24-year-old student from Tripura who was allegedly attacked by a racist mob in Dehradun on December 9.
Taking cognisance of the incident, NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said notices had been issued to the Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police and the district magistrate, directing them to submit a report within seven days. The commission has also asked the authorities to ensure the safety of students from the Northeast across Uttarakhand.
“This is not the first time a student from the Northeast has been murdered, raped or subjected to racial discrimination,” Debbarma said, questioning the responsibility of the Union government.
“We want to ask the Government of India—does the Northeast belong to India? If it does not, then leave us alone. We know how to live by ourselves,” he said, in a stinging indictment of the authorities.
Alleging repeated institutional failures, Debbarma said the Centre had been unable to protect young people from the Northeast who migrate to other states for education and employment.
“It is a failure of the state when it cannot safeguard its own human resources,” he added.
Debbarma, who is also a lawyer, demanded stringent punishment for all those involved in Angel Chakma’s killing and urged the Centre to enact a strong, standalone anti-racism law to prevent such crimes.
He warned that racial violence against people from the Northeast had become a recurring phenomenon and required firm legal intervention.
Senior Tipra Motha leaders, including former MLA Rajeshwar Debbarma and former TTAADC CEO C.K. Chakma, were also present at the press conference. They said it was only sustained protests and public pressure that forced the incident into the national spotlight.
The party further cautioned that the growing pattern of hate crimes across the country posed a serious national challenge and amounted to a clear violation of human rights, calling on the Government of India to take immediate and decisive action.
Those who targeted Anjel chakma did it know which ethnic tribe he belonged to or which religion he followed . Yet we are divided along different language or tribes and religion – end this divide my young people let us rise as one pic.twitter.com/t7Mksy6qzj
— Pradyot_Tripura (@PradyotManikya) December 31, 2025
