The Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights has condemned the killing of Angel Chakma, a young student from Tripura who was pursuing management studies in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, terming the incident inhumane and deeply disturbing.
According to the forum, Angel Chakma was attacked with sharp and blunt weapons, leaving him critically injured. He remained under medical treatment for more than seventeen days before succumbing to his injuries on December twenty-six, two thousand twenty-five.
In a statement issued by its Secretary T Shadishkanta, the forum said the killing was not merely an isolated criminal act but part of a continuing pattern of racial violence and systemic discrimination against people from the Northeast in different parts of the country. Such incidents, the statement said, expose the ongoing vulnerability of citizens from the region and reflect serious failures in ensuring their safety, dignity, and equal protection under the law.
The forum stated that the killing of Angel Chakma echoed earlier unresolved cases, including that of Pravish Chanam, who had gone missing from a concert venue and was later found to have been cremated as an unclaimed body despite a missing complaint having been officially lodged with the police. It noted that family members and several civil society organisations had raised allegations of organ trade in the case and that justice had still not been delivered.
The continued delay and denial of justice in such cases, the forum said, have fostered a culture of impunity, leaving families shattered and Northeast communities living in fear.
Strongly condemning the killing, the Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights called upon the Government of India and the Government of Uttarakhand to take immediate and decisive action to arrest all those involved in the crime. It demanded a fair, transparent, and time-bound investigation and the awarding of stringent punishment without delay.
The forum further urged the Union government to urgently enact and strictly enforce comprehensive legislation to prevent racial violence, hate crimes, and discrimination, and to establish effective safeguards for the protection of people from the Northeast. It stressed the need for institutionalised preventive measures, compulsory sensitisation programmes, and robust enforcement mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of such acts.
Stating that the killing of Angel Chakma must not be allowed to fade into silence, the forum said justice for him, for Pravish Chanam, and for all victims of racial violence against people from the Northeast was essential to restore faith in the rule of law and to ensure that no citizen is targeted, attacked, or killed because of identity or place of origin.