CDFI Demands Fast-Track Trial and Anti-Racial Violence Law After Northeast Student's Death in Dehradun

The Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) has called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure a fast-track court trial for the racially motivated murder of Anjel Chakma, a Scheduled Tribe student from Tripura studying in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

The organisation also urged the enactment of a dedicated anti-racial violence law to address rising incidents of discrimination and attacks against people from Northeast India.

Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old final-year MBA student, succumbed to his injuries on December 26, 2025, at Graphic Era Hospital in Dehradun after fighting for his life for over two weeks.

The incident occurred on December 9, 2025, around 6:00 p.m., when Anjel and his younger brother, Michael Chakma, visited Selakui Market to buy groceries. A group of six local individuals allegedly began harassing them based solely on their physical appearance, hurling racial slurs such as "Nepali", "Chinese", "Chinki", and "momos", along with abusive language.

When the brothers objected to the harassment, the group launched a violent assault.

Michael was struck on the head with a kada (metal bangle), while Anjel was brutally stabbed in the neck and stomach with a knife, sustaining life-threatening injuries. The attackers reportedly fled after threatening to kill them.

CDFI Founder Suhas Chakma criticised the Uttarakhand Police for delays in action, noting that it took three days to register an FIR and that relevant provisions—such as Sections 109 (attempt to murder) and 117(4) (grievous hurt by a mob on grounds including race or caste) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act—were not initially invoked. This lapse, he said, allowed the prime accused to flee, with one suspect still at large.

"The tragic death of Anjel Chakma recalls the racial killing of Nido Tania from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi, which led to the formation of the M.P. Bezbaruah Committee by the Ministry of Home Affairs," Chakma stated. The 2014 committee recommended either enacting a new law or amending the Indian Penal Code to combat racial discrimination against Northeast Indians.

The CDFI described amendments in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita—including Section 196 (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of race, among others) and Section 197 (prejudicial assertions to national integration)—as insufficient. It renewed calls for a separate anti-racial violence law.

Additionally, the CDFI requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to direct the Uttarakhand government to:
- Invoke murder charges under Section 103(2) of the BNS and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
- Ensure immediate arrest of the prime accused.
- Establish a dedicated helpline for Northeast citizens in Dehradun, similar to Delhi's Special Police Unit for North-Eastern Region (SPUNER).
- Conduct an inquiry into lapses by the Selakui Police Station, including delays in FIR registration.
- Provide Rs 1 crore compensation to Anjel Chakma's next of kin and appropriate compensation for Michael Chakma's injuries.

Police have arrested five accused in the case, and murder charges have been added following Anjel's death. 

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