'Proud Indian Dehumanised, Then Killed': Shashi Tharoor On Tripura Student

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today condemned the allegedly racially motivated killing of a Tripura student in Dehradun, calling it a "national disgrace" and a failure of society to respect its own diversity.

The Lok Sabha MP, in a long post on X, expressed his outrage over the death of Anjel Chakma. "This is not just a tragedy, it is a national disgrace," he said, urging citizens to build a society where "no Indian is made to feel foreign in their own land."

"A young man from Tripura, a proud Indian, was racially abused, dehumanised with slurs like 'Chinese' and 'momo,' and ultimately murdered," Tharoor stated. He argued that the killing was not an isolated act of violence but the "culmination of ignorance, prejudice, and a failure of our society to recognise and respect its own diversity."

The 24-year-old student, a final-year MBA student from the Unakoti district in Tripura, was visiting the Selakui market on December 9 with his brother, Michael, when they were confronted by a group. According to his family, the accused used racial slurs and called Chakma "Chinese" before attacking him with knives and brass knuckles. Chakma died of his injuries during treatment on December 26.

The MP demanded that Chakma's death not be reduced to a statistic or a fleeting headline. Instead, he said it must "ignite a movement for education, empathy, and reform."

"Schools must teach the histories and cultures of all Indian communities. Media must portray Northeast Indians with dignity. And society must unlearn its biases. Political leaders must speak out. Religious leaders must speak up. Silence is complicity," he wrote.

"I call upon those who claim to uphold dharma to remember that Hinduism, at its core, is a tradition of pluralism and inclusion. It is a civilisation that has embraced difference for millennia... To be Hindu is to honour the sacredness of every human being, regardless of appearance or origin," he added.

He concluded his message with a call to mourn Chakma "not only with words, but with action."

"I call upon those who claim to uphold dharma to remember that Hinduism, at its core, is a tradition of pluralism and inclusion. It is a civilisation that has embraced difference for millennia, welcoming tribes, castes, languages, and faiths into its fold. To be Hindu is to honour the sacredness of every human being, regardless of appearance or origin," he added.

The MP ended the post with a call to mourn Anjel Chakma "not only with words, but with action".

Five of the six suspects allegedly involved in the murder have been arrested. However, one suspect, Yagyaraj Awasthi-a resident of Nepal's Kanchanpur district-remains at large. Authorities have announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information leading to his arrest.

As public outrage mounted, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated on Sunday that such incidents are unacceptable and that the government would deal strictly with the culprits to ensure justice.