Agartala: A 24-year-old Chakma student from Tripura died on December 26 after battling for life for over two weeks following a knife attack in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
The victim, identified as Angel Chakma, an MBA student, breathed his last at a hospital in Dehradun. He was allegedly attacked along with his brother on December 9 after they confronted a group of assailants over racial slurs.
The incident has triggered widespread concern about the safety of students from the Northeast in other parts of the country.
Five persons were arrested for the murder of the youth while one accused, a Nepal national, managed to cross the border, police said.
They have been identified as Vinash Negi, Shaurya Rajput, Suraj Khawas, Ayush Badoni, and Sumit.
According to the FIR lodged on the complaint of Michel Chakma, brother of the deceased, he and his brother had gone to the market in Selakui locality on the evening of December 9.
While the two were buying some household things, a few drunk men hurled racial abuse at them, calling them “Nepali,” “Chinese,” “Chinki,” and “momos,” before stabbing Angel multiple times.
“When my brother objected to their caste based slurs, the accused persons attacked him with a knife and a rod…..,” the FIR filed on December 12, reads.
He was immediately admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Graphic Era Hospital in Dehradun, where he remained under critical care until his death early on December 26, despite continuous medical intervention.
According to sources in the hospital, Angel had suffered a deep wound on his head and neck, and he died after battling for life for almost 16 days.
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Angel’s father is a Border Security Force constable currently posted in Manipur. The deceased’s body will be flown to Agartala and later taken to Debrampara and Pecharthal for the last rites.
The family has demanded strict punishment for all those involved in the incident.
