Anjel killing: U’khand cops accused of FIR delay

Agartala: Uttarakhand Police face allegations of delay in filing an FIR over the assault and death of 24-year-old MBA student Anjel Chakma from Tripura, who was attacked on Dec 9 in Dehradun’s Selakui area.Student organisations in Tripura have held protests, calling the attack racially motivated and demanding strict punishment for the accused and action against the Uttarakhand Police.A Chakma student organisation took out a protest rally in the city, while the student wing of TIPRA Motha, a BJP ally in Tripura, held a candlelight march on Sunday evening seeking justice for Angel and his younger brother Michael.In an appeal to Union home minister Amith Shah, the TIPRA Motha-affiliated group alleged that the Uttarakhand Police did not register a case for three days after the incident, allowing suspects to escape.“Exploiting the delay in police response, the primary suspect in the case, Yagya Awasthi, managed to flee to Nepal. Police had not detained anyone till Dec 26, although, after the intervention of a retired IPS officer, an FIR was filed against six individuals, on Dec 13.Five of the suspects were arrested only after Tripura CM spoke to Uttarakhand CM two days ago,” said Suraj Debbarma, president of Youth Tipra Federation (YTF).Anjel’s father, Tarun Chakma, a BSF jawan posted in Manipur, said his sons were attacked after being subjected to racial slurs in the market, including “Chinku”, “Chinese,” and “Chinese momo.” He said Anjel confronted the attackers and asserted he was an Indian, after which he was assaulted with knives and blunt objects. Tarun Chakma said injuries to Anjel’s neck and back proved fatal. Tarun said Anjel and Michael were at the market when a scooter and a motorcycle carrying six people stopped near them.He said Michael was shoved to the ground without provocation, and when Angel protested, the group abused him and then attacked both brothers.Anjel’s last rites were held on Monday at his native village Machmara in Tripura’s Unakoti district. His father said Angel was in his final year of MBA and had recently received a job offer.Twipra Students Federation (TSF) said the case reflected continuing racial discrimination and attacks against tribal communities from the northeast in other parts of the country.TSF president Samrat Debbarma urged the Centre to enact strict laws to protect people from the northeast living in other regions, particularly in the northeast. He said, “Unless immediate steps to protect NE people in the mainland are not taken, we shall resort to agitation across the country.”