Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday underscored the urgent need to ensure the safety and dignity of people from India’s Northeast in the wake of the killing of Angel Chakma, an MBA student from Tripura who was attacked in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Responding to the incident, Rijiju said strong safeguards must be in place for people from the Northeast and noted that the Uttarakhand government had taken prompt action. He said several accused had already been arrested and cautioned against giving the case a political colour, adding that both the state and the Centre were treating the matter with seriousness.
The Union Minister also referred to measures taken by the central government in recent years, particularly in Delhi, to curb such incidents. He said cases involving people from the Northeast were once common in the national capital, but the situation improved after a dedicated police unit was set up. Rijiju described racism as an “ideological illness” present among a small section of society and said sustained awareness was needed to eliminate such attitudes.
Stressing that discrimination has no place in Indian society, Rijiju said racism should be a concern for all citizens, not just those from the Northeast. He said acts of prejudice threaten India’s diversity and go against the principles of equality and unity.
Angel Chakma was attacked by a group of assailants armed with knives and blunt objects in Dehradun on December 9 and later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Police have so far arrested five persons in connection with the case, including two minors who have been sent to a juvenile home.
Search operations are continuing to nab the remaining accused. A reward of ₹25,000 has been announced for information leading to the arrest of one of the suspects, and a police team has been sent to Nepal as part of the ongoing manhunt, officials from the Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s Office said.