Speak up against hate crimes: Kapil Sibal slams govt over killing of Tripura student in Dehradun

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday lashed out at the government over the killing of Tripura student Angel Chakma in Dehradun, calling it a “shocking display” of hate crime and bigotry, and urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to speak out against such incidents.

The Independent MP said the episode also reflected the “silence of leaders in government who by their inaction are complicit.”

According to police, 24-year-old Angel Chakma, a resident of Unakoti district in Tripura, and his younger brother Michael were involved in an argument with Suraj Khawas (22) and five of his friends at Selakui market on December 9.

Police said the accused allegedly attacked Angel with knives and brass knuckles, following which he was hospitalised. Angel succumbed to his injuries on December 26, after battling for life for over two weeks.

Angel’s father, Tarun Chakma, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan currently posted in Manipur, has alleged that the attack was preceded by racial abuse, with the accused calling his son “Chinese” and “Chinese momo.”

“The attackers called my sons ‘Chinese momo’ and other racial slurs. Angel told them that he ‘was also Indian, not Chinese’, but they attacked him with knives and blunt objects,” Tarun Chakma told PTI over the phone.

Reacting to the killing, Sibal wrote in a post on X: “Anjel Chakma's murder, a shocking display: of a hate crime, of bigotry, of the silence of our leaders in government who by their inaction are complicit.”

Addressing the Home Minister directly, he added: “Dear Amit Shahji, speak up AGAINST HATE CRIMES.”

As outrage mounted, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said such incidents were “unacceptable” and assured strict action against those responsible.

Police said five of the six accused, including two juveniles, have been apprehended. A reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced for the arrest of the absconding accused, Yagyaraj Awasthi, a resident of Nepal’s Kanchanpur district, and a police team has been sent to the neighbouring country.

However, police have denied that the case involves racial abuse.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh said, “One of the accused involved in the case is a resident of Manipur,” rejecting allegations of a racially motivated attack.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said he had spoken to his Uttarakhand counterpart Dhami, who assured him that action would be taken against the culprits.

With PTI inputs