NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Monday said that the racial killing of Tripura youth in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, is a result of "normalised hate" against the minorities and people from the Northeast.
MBA student Anjel Chakma was attacked by a group of miscreants with knives and other blunt objects in Dehradun on December 9 and later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital.
In a post on X, Manickam Tagore bashed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, blaming the organisation for "spreading daily hate" against other communities, resulting in incidents like the killing of Anjel Chakma.
"Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura, was racially abused as "Chinese" and "momo", stabbed in Dehradun, and died after days on a ventilator.
This is not an isolated crime. It is the outcome of normalised hate. When RSS and its 2,000+ affiliate outfits spread daily hate against minorities and people from the Northeast, it creates street-level violence. Such hate finds oxygen when the BJP governs a state," Manickam Tagore said in a post on X.
Further slamming the Uttarakhand government over the incident, he said, "Uttarakhand is a tragic example. Racial slurs -assault -delayed action =death.The FIR itself records racist abuse before the attack. Yet accountability moves at a snail's pace."
He emphasised the repeated incidents of racial abuse against the people of the Northeast. He objected to the government's "silence", which he believed sends a clear message that "hate is tolerated."
"People from the Northeast are Indian citizens, not targets for slurs and stereotypes. Silence from those in power sends a clear message: hate is tolerated, sometimes even rewarded."
"This is not 'law and order failure' alone. It is a political failure where divisive ideology emboldens violence and strips victims of dignity and justice," He added.
Manickam Tagore demanded justice for the Anjel Chakma.
"Justice for Anjel Chakma is non-negotiable. But unless the hate ecosystem is challenged, Anjel will not be the last. Hate politics kills," he said.
Five people have already been arrested in connection with the incident. Among them, two accused are minors and have been sent to a juvenile reform home. Police are continuously conducting raids to arrest an absconding accused, on whom a reward of ₹25,000 has been announced. A police team has also been sent to Nepal in search of the absconding accused, according to the Uttarakhand CMO.
Earlier, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said that his Uttarakhand counterpart, Pushkar Singh Dhami, has assured him that justice will be delivered in the case of a Tripura student
Chief Minister Saha said that Chief Minister Dhami has shared details of the case with him and has also spoken to him personally.
Speaking to ANI, CM Saha said, "I spoke with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding this matter. He has assured me that he will ensure that justice is served. Five people have been arrested, and one or two more are probably still at large, and they will be apprehended soon. I said that there shouldn't be any gaps in the investigation. He assured me that they will deliver justice, and they have already arrested five people."
Superintendent of Police (City) Pramod Kumar provided details of the incident, saying it occurred on the evening of December 9 in the Premnagar police station area of Dehradun.
"Two students from Tripura, Anjel Chakma and his brother, Michael Chakma, lived near Nanda Chowki in the Premnagar police station area. This incident happened on the evening of the 9th, when they had gone to Selaqui for some work," Kumar said.
He said the two got into an argument with some local youths and another youth from the Northeast. "A fight broke out between them, during which it is reported that they were attacked with knives and other blunt objects. As a result, they were seriously injured.
Their brother took them to the hospital, and subsequently, an FIR was registered," he added. The official confirmed that Anjel Chakma died while undergoing treatment. "Two days ago, Anjel Chakma died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. A murder charge has been added to the case," he said.