The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) on Tuesday demanded capital punishment for those responsible for the killing of Tripura student Angel Chakma, who was brutally assaulted in Dehradun earlier this month and later died of his injuries, triggering widespread outrage across the northeastern states.
In a letter addressed to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, NESO Chairman Samuel B. Jyrwa and Secretary General Mutsikhoyo Yhobu outlined three key demands, including the death penalty for the perpetrators of what the organisation described as a heinous crime. They also called for the establishment of special police stations to handle cases involving racial discrimination against people from the Northeast and sought enactment of a stringent Anti-Racism Act.
The apex student body, which represents eight major students’ organisations across the northeastern region, urged the Uttarakhand government to take immediate steps to ensure the mental, social and physical security of students and residents from the Northeast living and studying in Dehradun and other parts of the state.
Angel Chakma, a 24-year-old final-year MBA student at a university in Uttarakhand and the son of a Border Security Force (BSF) constable, succumbed to his injuries on December 26 after undergoing treatment for 18 days at a hospital in Dehradun. He had been grievously injured in an attack on December 9, during which a group of assailants allegedly hurled racial slurs.
Angel belonged to the Chakma tribal community. His brother, Micheal Chakma, who was accompanying him at the time, was also assaulted in the incident.
NESO strongly condemned the attack, stating that people from the northeastern states have repeatedly faced harassment and violence in different parts of the country, with several incidents resulting in fatalities. The organisation said such acts underscore the urgent need for stronger legal and institutional safeguards against racial discrimination.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha spoke twice with his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami on December 27 and December 29 to discuss the case and measures to ensure strict action against those responsible. Dhami informed Saha that five accused have been arrested and placed in judicial custody, while further investigation is ongoing.
Officials in Agartala, citing Uttarakhand Police, said the main accused fled to Nepal immediately after the incident. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend him, they said.
On the directions of the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, immediate financial assistance of Rs 4,12,500 was sanctioned on Monday as the first instalment to Angel’s father, Tarun Prasad Chakma. Dhami also spoke with the bereaved father and assured him that all those involved in the crime would be brought to justice and that the law would take its course.
The killing has sparked widespread condemnation across the Northeast. Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha and Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and several organisations described the assault as a “horrific hate crime” and demanded strict punishment for the culprits.
Leaders and organisations across party lines, including Tipra Motha Party chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Tripura Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha, the National People’s Party, and multiple student bodies, also condemned the killing.
Candlelight marches and protest rallies were held in Agartala on Sunday and Monday. Angel Chakma’s mortal remains reached Agartala on Saturday, and his last rites were performed at his ancestral home in Machamara village in Unokoti district on Sunday.
