The Uttarakhand Police on Monday said there is no evidence at present to suggest that the killing of a 24-year-old student from Tripura in Dehradun was racially motivated. Police noted that one of the five accused arrested in the case is from Manipur.
The deceased, Anjel Chakma, died last week, days after he was allegedly called a “Chinese” and assaulted with blunt objects.
Police Reject Racism Allegations
PD Bhatt, an investigating officer, said claims that racial slurs were used against Chakma before the attack are unfounded at this stage. “We have found no evidence so far to link the incident with racism. There is no basis for such allegations,” he said.
Incident Near Liquor Shop
Bhatt said the incident occurred near a liquor shop where Suraj, the accused from Manipur, was celebrating his son’s birthday. Chakma and his brother, Michael, had also bought liquor from the same shop. “An argument broke out between the two sides, which later escalated, resulting in the death of Chakma,” Bhatt said.
Michael said the two brothers had gone out to buy groceries on December 9 when a group of intoxicated people allegedly picked a fight, used racist slurs and stabbed Chakma. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died on December 26.
Absconding Accused
Bhatt said a sixth accused, who is absconding, is a Nepali national. “We are searching for him. Our teams are in Nepal. He will be arrested soon,” he said.
According to Bhatt, it is still unclear who stabbed Chakma. “Those arrested are claiming that the absconding accused stabbed the victim. It will only be clear after his arrest who actually carried out the stabbing,” he said. He added that none of the accused has a criminal record and that further investigation is underway.
Police said two of the five accused arrested in the case are minors.
