Following the tragic death of a Tripura student in Dehradun, a PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court addressing the issue of racially motivated violence against North-Eastern citizens. Angel Chakma, a final-year MBA student, was fatally assaulted in a racially motivated attack on December 9 in Dehradun. The assailants, allegedly intoxicated, verbally abused and attacked the brothers with sharp objects, leading to Angel’s grievous injuries.
The petition highlighted the lack of recognition of racial offenses as distinct constitutional wrongs in the criminal justice system. Despite the clear racial motivation behind such crimes, they are often treated as ordinary offenses, leading to impunity and dilution of constitutional seriousness. The plea emphasized that incidents like Angel Chakma’s death are part of a broader pattern of racial violence against North-Eastern citizens, as acknowledged by the government in parliamentary responses.
The PIL called for the acknowledgment of racially motivated violence as a specific constitutional violation and the implementation of guidelines to protect the dignity, equality, and fraternity of all citizens. In response to the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami assured strict action against the perpetrators, with five arrests already made and a reward announced for a suspect who fled to Nepal. Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the incident and pledged to support the victim’s family, reaching out to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh for assistance.
