Racist attack in Dehradun kills MBA student from Tripura

Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old final-year MBA student from Tripura, died on December 26 after being stabbed during a racially motivated attack in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, earlier this month. The incident has sparked protests in Tripura and drawn condemnation from political leaders across the Northeast.

Chakma, a football enthusiast and among the first in his batch to secure campus placement, was pursuing his MBA in Uttarakhand after taking an education loan. He had recently received a job offer from a French multinational dealing in sporting goods.

Racist attack escalated after slurs, FIR says

The attack occurred on December 9 when Chakma was out with his younger brother, Michael, 21, in Dehradun. According to the police and the first information report, a group of six people, including two juveniles, picked a fight that escalated into racial abuse and violence.

Kwthar Debbarma, secretary of the Uttarakhand Tripura Students’ Association, who assisted the family at the hospital, said, “They started arguing, and when the boys responded, they called them names like ‘momo’ and ‘Chinese’. Chakma told them they are from Tripura and are Indian, but the group continued to taunt them. The two decided to leave — Anjel had even started his motorcycle — but the men hit Michael on the head. Anjel got down and resisted the attack, but the accused had a knife and stabbed him.”

The FIR records Michael’s statement that the attackers used racist slurs before assaulting them. Chakma underwent surgery and initially appeared stable.

“Chakma was operated on, and it seemed like he would survive, but his health deteriorated, and he had to be placed on ventilator support,” Debbarma said. Chakma died 17 days later.

Arrests made, one accused still absconding

Police have arrested five accused, who have been sent to judicial custody. One suspect, Yagya Raj Awasthi, is absconding.

Senior sub-inspector Jitender Kumar said Awasthi, who belongs to Nepal, is on the run and two police teams have been formed to arrest him. The Uttarakhand government has announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information leading to his capture.

The family has raised concerns about delays in police action. Although the complaint was filed on December 10, an FIR was registered on December 12, and arrests were made on December 14.

Chakma’s father, BSF head constable Tarun Prasad Chakma, told PTI that the police initially refused to register a report and did so only after pressure from the All India Chakma Students Union and senior officers.

University recalls student’s achievements

Faculty members at Jigyasa University, where Chakma studied, described him as an active and high-performing student.

Vice-chancellor Shankar Ramamoorthy said Chakma was responding positively after being hospitalised. “We visited him, and he told me that he was apprehensive about missing his exams. He even told me that he has high bone density and will get well in no time. All of us held out that hope,” he said.

The VC said Chakma’s father had also been concerned about his third-semester examinations. “The thought that he would slip into this condition never occurred to us,” Dr Ramamoorthy said.

Dean Vivek D Singh said Chakma excelled in football and had already received a placement offer. “As it was the third semester, he sat in on a few placement interviews and was among a few students to have already received an offer. He was excited,” he said.

Family grief, protests, political response

Chakma hailed from Unakoti district in Tripura and was a day scholar in Dehradun. His uncle, Momen Chakma, said the family was struggling to come to terms with the loss. “He was a bright student. His family is not particularly wealthy; a typical middle-class family like many others in Tripura. He took a student loan to study MBA in Uttarakhand and was about to sit for his final semester exams on December 10, just a day after he was beaten horribly by men who looked at his racial identity more than him. We want strong punishment for the culprits so no other family has to bear the loss that we had to,” he said.

Protests were held in Agartala demanding strict punishment for the accused. Chakma’s mother, Gourimita Chakma, has expressed fear about sending her surviving son back to Uttarakhand.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said he had spoken to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who assured him that justice would be delivered.

Dhami said the incident was unacceptable. “The government will deal strictly with anti-social elements, and those involved in such crimes will not be spared,” he said.

Assam Congress chief and MP Gaurav Gogoi condemned the stabbing death of Chakma. 

I am an Indian. I am not Chinese.

— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) December 29, 2025

Speaking elsewhere, Gogoi shared his own experience of a guard in Agra demanding his passport and highlighted the harassment of tribal people in Assam.

Condemnation from Northeast leaders

The killing also drew condemnation from Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who co-leads the recently launched ‘One Northeast’ party. “Anjel Chakma from Tripura lost his life after facing brutal racial abuse in Dehradun. This is heartbreaking and unacceptable. Racial violence must not be tolerated. People from the North East are as Indian as every citizen of this country. Racism should never be normalised, and the perpetrators must be punished,” Sangma said.

Dr Ramamoorthy said the university would work to sensitise the campus to be more inclusive. “The government has to do a lot more for the students from the region. The taunt was that he was Chinese. This local sentiment has to be changed, and it requires a policy-level intervention,” he said.

“This is a wake-up call. Even inside the campus, we will ensure measures are taken to curb such sentiments to embrace cultural and religious differences. This is unfortunate to the student community, and to Dehradun, which is known as an educational hub.”