The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) has stepped up its demand for stringent action in the killing of Tripura student Anjel Chakma, calling for capital punishment for those involved and stronger institutional safeguards against racial violence.
In a representation submitted to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday, NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa said the incident reflected a continuing pattern of targeted attacks on people from the Northeast living outside the region.
He described the assault on Chakma as a stark reminder of the vulnerability faced by students and residents from the Northeast across the country.
NESO urged the Uttarakhand government to ensure the harshest possible punishment for the accused at the earliest.
The organisation also sought the creation of at least one dedicated police station in the state to exclusively deal with cases of racial discrimination and crimes against people from the Northeast, arguing that existing mechanisms have proved inadequate.
Jyrwa further pressed for the immediate introduction of a comprehensive Anti-Racism Act to address racially motivated violence and hate crimes, stating that repeated incidents show an urgent need for stronger legal deterrents.
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Anjel Chakma, 24, was allegedly attacked and stabbed in Dehradun on December 9.
He succumbed to his injuries on December 26 after remaining hospitalised for more than two weeks.
His brother, Michael Chakma, who was present at the time of the incident, was also assaulted.
Maintaining that the attack was racially driven, NESO alleged that the victims were targeted because of their physical appearance and subjected to racial abuse.
The organisation reiterated that unless decisive legal and administrative steps are taken, such incidents would continue to threaten the safety and dignity of people from the Northeast living in other parts of India.
