Northeast students hold candlelight march in Dehradun demanding justice for Anjel Chakma

NEW DELHI: Students from the northeast held a candlelight march in Dehradun on Wednesday to protest against the murder of 24-year-old Anjel Chakma from Tripura and demanded justice for him, raising slogans against alleged racial discrimination. Under the banner of the 'Unified Tripura Students Association' (UTSA), students from various institutions in Dehradun gathered outside Gandhi Park and marched to Ghantaghar (clock tower) with candles in their hands. Some students from other states also joined the march.

Holding banners with Chakma's picture, the students chanted slogans like "Stop Racism", "We Are Indians", and "We Want Justice." Churanta Tripura, general secretary of the UTSA, Dehradun, alleged that the police are trying to suppress the case, and are therefore not considering it a case of "racism." He also alleged that the police asked them to stop the protest march, citing traffic problems due to the New Year celebrations.

Police say no evidence of racial discrimination found

Chakma, a final-year MBA student at a private university here, was allegedly attacked and seriously injured with a knife and a brass knuckle by some youths on December 9. He died on December 26 after being hospitalised for 17 days.

While Chakma's family and friends are calling the incident a result of "racist remarks," the Dehradun police says that their investigation so far has not found any evidence of "racial discrimination." Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh said that students from all over the country come to Dehradun to study, including more than 2000 students from the northeast. Singh said that about 250 students from Tripura alone are studying here.