CDFI demands fast-track trial in racial killing of Anjel Chakma; five accused arrested, says Tripura CM

The Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) on Saturday has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure a fast-track trial in the racially motivated murder of Anjel Chakma, a Scheduled Tribe student from Tripura who was brutally attacked in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The organization also reiterated its demand for the enactment of a comprehensive anti-racial violence law, as recommended by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ M.P. Bezbaruah Committee.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, in a social media post, stated that he had spoken with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the incident. According to Dr Saha, the Uttarakhand CM informed him that five accused have already been arrested in connection with the case and assured that justice would be delivered. Further investigation is underway.

Anjel Chakma, a resident of Nandanagar under Debram Thakur Para in Tripura, succumbed to his injuries on December 26, 2025, at Graphic Era Hospital in Dehradun after battling for life for more than two weeks.

According to reports, the incident occurred on December 9, 2025, at around 6 pm when Anjel Chakma and his younger brother, Michael Chakma, went to Selakui Market to buy groceries. Without any provocation, a group of six local persons allegedly began harassing them based solely on their physical appearance. The assailants reportedly used racial slurs such as “Nepali,” “Chinese,” “Chinki,” and “momos,” along with abusive language.

When the brothers protested against the racial harassment, the situation escalated into violence. Michael Chakma was allegedly struck on the head with a kada, while Anjel Chakma was stabbed in the neck and stomach with a knife, causing grievous injuries. The attackers fled the scene after threatening to kill them.

CDFI Founder Suhas Chakma alleged that the Uttarakhand Police failed to act promptly, taking three days to register the FIR and not invoking relevant legal provisions, including Section 109 (attempt to murder) and Section 117(4) (grievous hurt by a mob on grounds of race or caste) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He claimed that these lapses allowed the prime accused to flee, who is yet to be arrested.

Drawing parallels with the 2014 racial killing of Nido Tania from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi, Mr Chakma said the incident underscores the continued vulnerability of people from the North-East. He recalled that the M.P. Bezbaruah Committee, constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs after the Nido Tania case, had recommended either a new law or amendments to existing penal provisions to address racial violence.

Terming the provisions in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 196 and 197, as inadequate to deal with racial discrimination and violence, the CDFI called for a separate and specific anti-racial violence law.

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