The family of a young Tripura man killed in Dehradun earlier this month has issued a sharp rebuttal to the city's top police officer's public statement dismissing racial slurs as a motive for the murder. This claim is central to the family's account of the tragedy, which is supported by the eyewitness testimony of the victim's brother.
Police Dismissal Meets Family's Anger
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajai Singh stated on Monday that the ongoing investigation had found no evidence of racial provocation in the case that led to the death of Anjel Chakma. The police cited the ethnic backgrounds of some of the six accused, noting that two are from Manipur and Nepal, as a reason to downplay a racial motive.
This reasoning was immediately labeled as "premature and deeply dismissive" by the grieving Chakma family. Momen Chakma, Anjel's uncle, who was among the first relatives to reach Dehradun after the assault, accused the police of ignoring the sole eyewitness. "Michael is not just a family member, he's the complainant in the case. He was there when it happened," Momen told TOI on Tuesday.
The Eyewitness Account of a Fatal Attack
According to the family's version of events, Anjel and his brother Michael were in Dehradun when they were allegedly attacked by a group of six men after objecting to their disruptive behaviour. Michael and other relatives have consistently stated that the assailants shouted racial slurs—including words like "Chinki," "Chinese," and "Momo"—before turning violent.
Michael sustained injuries in the attack, while Anjel later succumbed to his wounds. "The incident lasted minutes - how do you expect anyone to stop and film something like that?" questioned Momen Chakma, expressing frustration over the police's demand for corroborative evidence beyond the eyewitness account.
Public and Civil Society Backlash Grows
SSP Ajai Singh's justification has triggered significant criticism, especially from members of Northeast civil society who understand the region's complex demographics. Suraj Debbarma, president of the Youth Tipra Federation, called the police logic flawed and reductive.
"The accused from Manipur, Suraj Khwas, is not a tribal from Manipur. He is most likely of Nepalese origin. Similarly, the other accused, Yagya Awasthi, who is claimed to be from Nepal, appears to be from the Madhesh region," Debbarma explained. He emphasized that not every tribal in India has mongoloid features, which he believes is the flawed basis of the SSP's conclusion.
In a subsequent statement on Tuesday, SSP Singh shifted focus, claiming that Michael's initial complaint only mentioned "casteist slurs" and not racial ones, a point the family strongly contests. The family maintains that the police are issuing public statements without completing a thorough investigation, thereby undermining their quest for justice.
