Picture : ANI/X
Union Prliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has stressed the urgent need to ensure the safety and protection of people from India’s Northeast region following the death of Angel Chakma, a student from Tripura, who was brutally stabbed in Dehradun after allegedly facing racial abuse.
“There should be protection for the people of the Northeast,” Rijiju said, reacting to the incident. He added that the Uttarakhand government has acted swiftly in the matter and that around five people have already been arrested.
“Uttarakhand government has taken vigilance, and probably five people have also been arrested. This is not a political issue,” the minister said.
Calling the incident “not a political issue”, Rijiju also highlighted steps taken by the central government in the past to address such issues, particularly in the national capital. He said that earlier incidents involving people from the Northeast were frequent.
“When PM Modi swore in as the Prime Minister, 20-40 incidents were normal, but with the Delhi special unit established, the number of incidents decreased,” he said.
Describing racism as an “ideological illness”, Rijiju said such thinking exists only among a few individuals and must be addressed through awareness.
“This ideological illness occurs in only a few people. Awareness is essential,” he stressed. Rijiju added that racism and discrimination have no place in Indian society.
Earlier , The father of Angel Chakma, a student from Tripura who died in Dehradun, said his son was ‘brutally attacked’ with knives and blunt objects when he tried to defend his brother who faced racial slurs and was called ‘Chinese’ by the attackers.
Tarun Chakma, a BSF jawan currently posted in Tangjeng in Manipur, alleged that police initially refused to register a report about the incident involving his sons in the Selakui area and only filed a first information report (FIR) two to three days later after pressure from the All India Chakma Students Union and senior officers.
The attackers called his sons ‘Chinese momo’ and other racial slurs, the father of the victim told PTI over the phone.
Angel told them that he ‘was also Indian, not Chinese’ but they attacked him with knives and blunt objects, the devastated father said.
Angel Chakma, an MBA student at a private university in Dehradun, died on Friday after fighting for his life for 17 days in the hospital.
