Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday strongly condemned the racial murder of Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun and accused the BJP of “normalizing hatred” due to which such incidents are happening.
Rahul Gandhi has spoken out against the brutal attack on Anjel Chakma, urging people to “reflect and confront” and not become a “dead society”.
Rahul Gandhi made the comment after MBA student Anjel Chakma and his brother Michael Chakma were attacked by a group of miscreants armed with knives and other sharp weapons in Dehradun. On 9 December, Angel Chakma died in the hospital.
“What happened to Anjel Chakma and his brother Michael in Dehradun is a horrific hate crime. Hate is not born overnight. For years it has been promoted daily, especially to our youth, through toxic content and irresponsible statements. And it has been normalized by the hate-mongering leadership of the ruling BJP,” the Lok Sabha MP said in a post.
He further said, “India is built on respect and unity, not fear and abuse. We are a country of love and diversity. We must not become a dead society that turns a blind eye when fellow Indians are targeted. We have to introspect and understand where we are allowing our country to go.”
Rahul Gandhi expressed solidarity with the Chakma family and the people of the Northeast. He said, “My condolences are with the Chakma family and the people of Tripura and the North-East. We are proud to call you our Indian brothers and sisters.”
Five people have been arrested in connection with this incident. Two of these accused are minors and have been sent to juvenile reform home. Police are continuously conducting raids to nab the absconding accused, on whom a reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced. According to the Chief Minister’s Office of Uttarakhand, a police team has also been sent to Nepal in search of the absconding accused.
Giving details of the incident, Superintendent of Police (City) Pramod Kumar said that this incident occurred on the evening of December 9 in Premnagar police station area of Dehradun.
“Two students from Tripura, Anzel Chakma and his brother Michael Chakma, lived near Nanda Chowki in Premnagar police station area. The incident took place on the evening of 9th when they had gone to Selaqui for some work,” Kumar said.
He told that both of them had a fight with some local youth and another youth from the North-East. He further said, “There was a scuffle between them, during which he was attacked with knives and other sharp objects. As a result, he was seriously injured. His brother took him to the hospital, after which an FIR was registered.”
The official confirmed that Anjal Chakma died during treatment. “Anjel Chakma died during treatment at the hospital two days ago. The charge of murder has been added to the case,” he said.