- Rahul Gandhi has condemned the racial attack on Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Uttarakhand
- Anjel Chakma has died after being stabbed in the neck and abdomen during a fight on December 9
- Five suspects have been arrested, including two minors, and one accused has fled to Nepal
Congress's Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP in strong terms today after a 24-year-old student from Tripura died in Uttarakhand following a racial attack. Anjel Chakma was battling for life at a hospital in Dehra Dun after being attacked by a group of men armed with knives and blunt instruments. Calling the attack on Anjel Chakma and his brother Michael "a horrific hate crime", Gandhi said hate is being "normalized" by the "hate-spewing leaders" of the BJP.
"Hate doesn't appear overnight. For years now it is being fed daily - especially to our youth - through toxic content and irresponsible narratives. And it's being normalised by the hate-spewing leadership of the ruling BJP.," Gandhi posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Read: Bleeding In Brain, Damage To Spine: Tripura Student's Medical Report
"India is built on respect and unity, not fear and abuse. We are a country of love and diversity. We must not become a dead society that looks away while fellow Indians are targeted. We must reflect and confront what we are allowing our country to become," his post read.
Expressing solidarity with the Chakma family, he added, "My thoughts are with the Chakma family and the people of Tripura and the Northeast. We are proud to call you our fellow Indian brothers and sisters".
Pramod Kumar, a senior police officer of Uttarakhand, said Anjel was attacked on the evening of December 9 in Dehradun. "Two students from Tripura, Anjel Chakma and his brother, Michael Chakma, lived near Nanda Chowki in the Premnagar police station area. This incident happened on the evening of the 9th, when they had gone to Selaqui for some work," Kumar said.
The brothers had got into an argument with some local men and another man from the northeast, who used racial slurs. When the brothers objected, "a fight broke out between them, during which it is reported that they were attacked with knives and other blunt objects," he added.
Read: 'Police Refused To File Case': Father Of Tripura Man Killed In Racial Attack
Michael was allegedly struck on the head, while Anjel was stabbed in the neck and abdomen. Anjel Chakma died on December 26.
Five people have already been arrested in connection with the incident. Among them, two are minors and have been sent to a juvenile reform home. One of the accused, a Nepal national, has fled home and a reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced for him. A police team has also been sent to Nepal.
The killing of Anjel Chakma has sparked outrage in Tripura. Several student organisations have demanded stringent punishment for those responsible. They have also appealed to the Central Government to take firm steps to address what they described as the persistent problem of racial discrimination against youths from the northeast in different parts of the country.
In Delhi, thousands of students under the banner of Tipra Indigenous Students' Federation on Sunday organised a candlelight march, seeking justice.
BJP Tripura state General Secretary Bipin Debbarma has described Anjel Chakma's death as "deeply saddening".
"This is deeply saddening for all the people of Tripura... The Tripura Chief Minister has held talks with his Uttarakhand counterpart, and those who are involved in this incident will be brought to justice," he was reported as saying by news agency ANI.
