In a new development in the case of an alleged racial attack on a student from Tripura in Dehradun, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh has rejected the allegations made by the victim’s family, stating there was no racial motive behind the attack and that the altercation began over a joke.
“There was no provocation,” Singh told India Today TV when asked whether the victim, Anjel Chakma, had been subjected to a racial attack, as claimed by his brother.
“The fight began over a joke. There is nothing to suggest racism,” he added. The senior police official further clarified that there was no indication of racial slurs being used, noting that one of the accused was from Nepal while another was from the North Eastern region.
Family claims racial abuse preceded attack
Earlier, Michael, the brother of the deceased student, told India Today TV that they were confronted by a group of locals who were drinking on the street and calling them “Chinki,” a racial slur commonly directed at people from the Northeast.
“There was a group and they were drinking. When we arrived, they started poking us, calling us ‘Chinki’. When I confronted them about why they were abusing us, they attacked me with a kada. When my brother intervened, they stabbed him in the back,” he told India Today TV.
Father alleges delayed police response
Anjel’s father, Tarun Prasad Chakma, alleged that police initially refused to register a case, dismissing the incident as a “minor matter,” and took action only after the family’s intervention.
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Speaking to mediapersons from his home in North Tripura, Anjel’s father, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, said the delay in filing the FIR added to the family’s anguish while his son was fighting for his life.
“They wanted to file an FIR, but they were refused, being told it was a minor matter. Only when we went there did they finally register the case,” he said.