Students from the Northeast on December 31 staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding justice for Tripura student Anjel Chakma, who died after suffering stab injuries in Dehradun earlier this month.
Hundreds of Northeast students studying at Delhi University joined the demonstration, organised under the banner of the Northeast Students’ Society of Delhi University (NESSDU). Protesters called for a fair and transparent investigation into Chakma’s killing.
Anjel Chakma, 24, a resident of Tripura’s Unakoti district, was allegedly attacked by a group of six men in Dehradun on December 9. The assault reportedly took place after he objected to racial slurs aimed at him and his younger brother. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on December 26.
Police have so far arrested five of the accused. However, the main accused, Yagyraj Awasthi, a resident of Nepal’s Kanchanpur district, is still on the run.
Addressing the gathering, NESSDU president Pointing Thokchom demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and that adequate compensation be provided to the victim’s family. He also urged the government to bring in a specific law to protect students from the Northeast against racial abuse and violence.
All India Chakma Students’ Union president Biraj Chakma accused the Uttarakhand administration of delaying the investigation, saying the lack of timely action forced students to come out and protest.
One of the protesters said he had travelled to Dehradun on December 11 after learning about the incident but felt helpless due to the absence of support. He also claimed to have faced racial abuse at Delhi University and appealed to the authorities to take concrete steps to curb what he called repeated racial attacks on students from the Northeast.
The protest underscored growing anxiety among Northeast students over their safety outside the region and renewed demands for stronger legal protection and accountability.