Hundreds of students from the Northeast community gathered at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Wednesday to hold a candlelight vigil protesting the killing of Tripura student Anjel Chakma and demanding justice and safety. Despite the biting cold, a large number of people turned up, expressing deep concern over the continuing racial discrimination faced by people from the Northeast across the country.
The protesters held placards reading “Being from the Northeast is not a crime,” “We are Indians, not Chinese,” and “Justice for Anjel Chakma.” The demonstration was organised by various Northeast student organisations. Organisers said a memorandum would be submitted to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other concerned ministers.
Student leaders participating in the protest said that students from the Northeast have for years faced racial slurs, harassment and violence in different parts of the country, particularly in cities like Delhi and Dehradun.
Chelsea Gabil Momin, General Secretary of the Meghalaya Students’ Welfare Association, Delhi, said it was deeply worrying that the police were not treating the incident as a racial attack.
“Being called ‘momo’, ‘chinky’ and ‘Chinese’ is a common experience for us. This is not a new problem. Even speaking in our own language makes us targets. For women, the situation is even more unsafe,” she said.
The Dehradun police have announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. According to the police, preliminary investigations have not found concrete evidence of racial abuse, and the incident was linked to a scuffle near a liquor shop.
However, student organisations outrightly rejected this claim, stating that the victim’s family’s account and the sequence of events do not match the police version.
Anjel Chakma’s father, a BSF personnel currently posted in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, has alleged that his sons were subjected to racial slurs such as “Chinese momo” and that the attack was a direct result of this abuse. He said Anjel was assaulted with a knife and a metal knuckle weapon while trying to save his brother.
Anjel Chakma was a final-year MBA student at a private university in Dehradun. He was critically injured in the attack on December 9 and, after undergoing treatment for 17 days, succumbed to his injuries on December 26.
Abhilasha Saikia, General Secretary of the Delhi University Northeast Students’ Society, said the memorandum demands a CBI inquiry into the case, the immediate arrest of the accused, and justice for the victim’s family.
She added that incidents of racial attacks, sexual harassment and molestation against students from the Northeast have repeatedly come to light, but are rarely dealt with seriously.
The student organisations also demanded a stringent central law to address racism and hate crimes across the country.
Organisers further alleged that the police did not allow them to light candles at the site, leading to anger among the protesters.
According to the students, the killing of Anjel Chakma has once again raised a troubling question: are people from the Northeast truly safe and able to live with equal rights in their own country?
