Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday strongly condemned the alleged racially motivated killing of a 24-year-old student from Tripura in Dehradun, calling the incident a “national disgrace” and a grim reminder of society’s failure to respect India’s diversity.
In a detailed post on social media platform X, Tharoor expressed outrage over the death of Anjel Chakma, a final-year MBA student from Tripura’s Unakoti district. He said the young man was first “dehumanised through racial slurs” and then brutally murdered, an act that should shame the nation.
According to the victim’s family, Anjel Chakma was visiting Selakui market in Dehradun on December 9 along with his brother when they were confronted by a group of men. The accused allegedly hurled racial abuses, calling him “Chinese” and mocking him with slurs such as “momo,” before attacking him with knives and brass knuckles. Chakma suffered severe injuries and died during treatment on December 26.
Tharoor stressed that the killing was not an isolated incident but the result of deep-rooted ignorance, prejudice and systemic apathy towards people from India’s Northeast. “No Indian should ever be made to feel like a foreigner in their own land,” he said, urging citizens and institutions to introspect.
Calling for concrete action, Tharoor said Chakma’s death must not fade into a mere statistic or headline. He demanded reforms in education, responsible media representation of Northeast Indians, and stronger moral leadership from political and religious figures. “Silence is complicity,” he warned.
So far, five of the six accused have been arrested. One suspect, Yagyaraj Awasthi, remains absconding, and police have announced a reward of ₹25,000 for information leading to his arrest. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has assured strict action and justice for the victim’s family.
