A 24-year-old final-year MCA student from Tripura’s Unakoti district, Angel Chakma, died on 26 December after succumbing to stab wounds from an alleged racist attack in Dehradun’s Selaqui area on 9 December.
Angel and his brother Michel faced racial slurs like “Chinki” from six drunk youths while buying groceries; when Angel objected, he was stabbed in the back, head, and neck, battling for 17 days in ICU.
Five accused Avinash Negi, Shaurya Rajput, Suraj Khawas, Ayush Badoni, and Sumit have been arrested, including two minors sent to a juvenile home; the prime accused, Nepali national Yagnraj Awasthi, fled to Nepal with a ₹25,000 reward announced. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered swift arrests, vowing no leniency, while Tripura CM Manik Saha noted assurances of justice; Angel’s BSF soldier father retrieved his body.
Brutal Assault Amid Ethnic Slurs
The incident unfolded on a routine evening in Selaqui, a vibrant neighbourhood teeming with students from across India, many pursuing higher education far from their hometowns.
Angel, a promising final-year MCA student at a local institute, and his younger brother Michel, both hailing from Tripura’s Chakma community, stepped out to buy groceries near a liquor shop when they were accosted by six youths who appeared inebriated.
What began as derogatory taunts targeting their Northeast Indian ethnicity slurs such as “Chinki” that painfully stereotype people from the region quickly escalated into a savage attack after Angel bravely objected to the abuse.
Eyewitness accounts and Michel’s detailed FIR, filed on 12 December, paint a harrowing picture: the group wielded knives and rods, with one stabbing Angel multiple times in the back, head, and neck before fleeing the scene, leaving him in a pool of blood.
Rushed to a nearby hospital, Angel fought valiantly for nearly three weeks in intensive care, his organs failing under the trauma as doctors battled to save him. Michel, fearing reprisals from what he described as “influential locals,” delayed the complaint initially, a detail that underscores the brothers’ vulnerability as migrants in an unfamiliar city.
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajai Singh addressed the media, stating firmly: “A dedicated police team has been dispatched to Nepal to apprehend the prime accused, Yagnraj Awasthi. The case has been upgraded to include charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, and we are leaving no stone unturned.”
This personal tragedy extends beyond Angel’s untimely death; his father, a serving BSF soldier posted away from home, travelled urgently to claim his son’s body, arriving amid profound grief for a family uprooted by ambition and now shattered by prejudice.
Patterns of Discrimination Against Northeast Indians
This heartbreaking case is not isolated but part of a troubling pattern of bias against Northeast Indians in mainland cities, where distinct facial features, accents, and cultural attire often invite ridicule or worse.
Dehradun, Uttarakhand’s educational hub attracting thousands of students from remote regions, has witnessed similar harassment incidents earlier in 2025, including verbal abuse and assaults on migrants perceived as “outsiders.”
Angel’s death, occurring during the festive Christmas season, drew sharp condemnation from Tipra Motha leader Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, who highlighted the systemic neglect of Northeast voices and demanded immediate sensitisation campaigns in schools and workplaces.
Tripura authorities swiftly coordinated with their Uttarakhand counterparts, ensuring consular support and family assistance, while community leaders from the Northeast diaspora rallied online, sharing stories of everyday discrimination to amplify the call for change.
Some reports have raised questions about a purely racial motive, noting the attackers’ mixed local backgrounds with no prior connections to the victims, but the racial slurs remain undisputed at the core of the FIR and witness statements.
The prime accused’s flight to Nepal adds urgency, with police revealing a ₹25,000 reward for credible leads, reflecting the cross-border challenges in pursuit of justice.
Five arrests so far including Avinash Negi, Shaurya Rajput, Suraj Khawas, Ayush Badoni, and another named Sumit bring partial accountability, but the two minors remanded to a juvenile reform home highlight the need for early intervention against youth violence.
Broader context reveals how economic migration for education exposes young people like Angel to such risks, far from familial safety nets, urging a national reckoning on inclusivity.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Angel Chakma’s brutal murder lays bare the festering wound of racism that threatens India’s social fabric, demanding not just legal retribution but a cultural shift towards empathy and mutual respect.
At The Logical Indian, we unwaveringly champion peace, dialogue, kindness, and harmony, pressing Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami to expedite the fugitive’s capture while mandating anti-bias education in educational institutions and public spaces to prevent future tragedies.
True coexistence flourishes when every community member feels valued, regardless of origin, and we call on authorities, civil society, and citizens to foster programmes that bridge divides through awareness and accountability.
