Northeast students protest at Jantar Mantar seeking justice for Tripura student killed in Dehradun

Students from the Northeast on Wednesday staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding justice for Tripura student Anjel Chakma, who died after being stabbed in Dehradun earlier this month.

Hundreds of students from the Northeast studying at Delhi University participated in the protest, organised under the banner of the NESSDU (Northeast Students' Society of Delhi University).

The demonstrators sought a thorough and impartial investigation into Chakma’s killing and raised concerns over the safety of students from the region across the country.

Anjel Chakma (24), a resident of Unakoti district in Tripura, was allegedly attacked by a group of six people in Dehradun on 9 December after he objected to racial slurs directed at him and his younger brother. He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital on 26 December.

Dehradun police have so far arrested five of the six accused. The main accused, Yagyaraj Awasthi, a resident of Kanchanpur district in Nepal, is absconding.

Speaking to PTI at the protest site, NESSDU president Pointing Thokchom said the students were demanding that the case be handed over to the CBI. “We also want proper compensation for the family. There must be a specific law to protect students from the Northeast against racial abuse and violent attacks,” he said.

Bipul Chakma, vice-president of the All India Chakma Students' Union, alleged that the Uttarakhand administration delayed the investigation, forcing students to take to the streets.

“I went to Dehradun on December 11 after Anjel Chakma’s father called me because no one was helping them. I myself have faced racial abuse while studying at Delhi University. We want this vicious cycle of racial abuse and attacks against Northeast students to stop,” he said.

The protestors held placards and raised slogans demanding accountability, justice for Chakma, and systemic safeguards for students from the Northeast living and studying outside their home states.

With PTI inputs