New Delhi [India], December 29 (ANI): Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Monday condemned the brutal killing of Angel Chakma, a student from Tripura, in Dehradun, drawing attention to the discrimination faced by people from India’s Northeast.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Gogoi recounted the circumstances that led to Angel’s death and criticised what he described as a delayed response by authorities. He said Angel had initially endured abusive remarks and could have walked away, but when his patience ran out and he confronted those taunting him, five people allegedly attacked him from behind. Gogoi said Angel fought for his life for 14 days before succumbing to his injuries.
Gogoi said Angel’s family members had told him that the police did not act with the urgency the situation demanded. He added that action was taken only after students staged protests, by which time the main accused had already fled.
Raising broader concerns, Gogoi questioned whether similar incidents were occurring elsewhere in the country. “Now the question arises: is this happening in other places as well, where people from the Northeast are being treated this way?” he asked.
He stressed that people from the Northeast are Indians and not foreigners. “People from the Northeast are Indians, not Chinese. It is unfortunate that a young man from Tripura had to say these words in Dehradun on December 9 while he was returning from the market,” Gogoi said.
Later, speaking to reporters, Gogoi shared his own experiences of discrimination. He recalled an incident in Agra where a guard allegedly asked him where he was from and demanded to see his passport. He said people from the Northeast are often asked for passports in their own country by their own fellow citizens, calling it a painful reflection of prejudice despite their deep sense of tolerance and patriotism.
MBA student Angel Chakma was attacked by a group of miscreants armed with knives and other blunt objects in Dehradun on December 9 and later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident. Of the accused, two are minors and have been sent to a juvenile reform home. Police are continuing raids to apprehend an absconding accused, on whom a reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced. A police team has also been dispatched to Nepal in search of the suspect, according to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s Office.
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