Torch rally in Agartala demands justice for Tripura student killed in Dehradun

Agartala, January 3 (IANS): The North-East Youth Congress Coordination Committee (NEYCCC), on Saturday, organised a large scale torch rally here to protest the killing of Tripura student Angel Chakma, who was brutally assaulted in Dehradun and later succumbed to his injuries in December last year.

Angel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA final-year student from Machmara in Tripura's Unakoti district and the son of a Border Security Force (BSF) constable, was allegedly attacked by a racist mob in Uttarakhand's state capital Dehradun on December 9.

The attackers reportedly hurled racial slurs at him during the assault.

After battling for his life for 18 days in hospital, he died on December 26.

Holding banners reading "Justice for Angel Chakma", the torch rally began from the state Congress Bhavan and passed through several parts of the capital city.

NEYCCC leaders, including Tripura State Youth Congress President Neel Kamal Saha, demanded the strictest punishment for those responsible for Chakma's killing.

Earlier on Saturday, a NEYCCC delegation comprising Youth Congress leaders from various Northeastern states visited Chakma's residence in Unakoti district and met his family members.

Saha said that, following instructions of the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, the NEYCCC delegation visited the bereaved family.

"We have assured the family that we will stand by them during this difficult time. During our meeting, Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib also spoke to Angel Chakma's parents through a video call and assured them that the organisation would remain with the family," Saha told the media.

He alleged that the attackers branded Angel as "Chinese" and brutally assaulted him, even as his father, a BSF jawan, was guarding the country's borders.

Meanwhile, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Uttarakhand and former Rajya Sabha member Tarun Vijay, after meeting Chakma's family members in Unakoti district on Friday, also demanded the strictest punishment for those responsible for the killing.

Condemning the incident, Vijay said that exemplary punishment must be awarded to the culprits to deter such crimes in the future.

He added that Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has held several discussions with the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the case.

Vijay also proposed that Angel Chakma's younger brother, Michael Chakma, be provided a government job in Tripura to ensure financial stability for the family.

He also suggested the formation of a special Northeast cell within the Uttarakhand Police to deal with cases of racial abuse and discrimination.

Protests have been held almost daily in Uttarakhand following the incident, Vijay said.

BJP's ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP) leader Rajeshwar Debbarma said the party is demanding exemplary punishment for the perpetrators and the invocation of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

TMP supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma criticised the Uttarakhand government and police, alleging attempts to dilute the racial nature of the crime.

"The attackers branded Angel as 'Chinki', 'Chinese' and 'Momo' and brutally assaulted him, even as his father, a BSF soldier, was guarding the borders and protecting the country," he said in a video message.

The incident has triggered widespread outrage 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 have condemned the assault as a "horrific hate crime".

Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Tripura Congress President Ashish Kumar Saha, the National People's Party, the North East Students' Organisation, the All India Chakma Students' Union, the Manipuri Students' Federation, the Tripura Tribal Students' Union and several other organisations have also condemned the killing and demanded strict punishment for those involved.

--IANS

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