AGARTALA, Dec 29: A fresh incident of racial violence against people from Northeast India has claimed the life of 24-year-old MBA student Anjel Chakma from Tripura, who succumbed to his injuries on December 26 after being brutally attacked in Dehradun earlier this month. The assault reportedly occurred on December 9 when Chakma objected to racial slurs, following which a group of miscreants allegedly attacked him with sharp weapons, leaving him critically injured.

Chakma, a resident of Nandannagar in West Tripura district, was admitted to Graphic Era Hospital, where he battled for life for 17 days before passing away. Following his death, Uttarakhand Police added murder charges to the case and confirmed that five of the accused have been arrested, while one main accused remains absconding.

In response, Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Monday announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the prime accused. Criticising the Uttarakhand government’s earlier announcement of a Rs 25,000 reward, Debbarma said the amount undermined the gravity of the crime and declared that the reward would be paid from his personal funds.

The Tipra Motha Party-run Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) also announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh for Chakma’s family to support his final rites. TTAADC Chief Executive Member Purna Chandra Jamatia said the decision was taken on the recommendation of ADC Administrative Reforms Committee chairman Pradyot Debbarma.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha spoke with his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami, who assured strict action against all those involved in the case. Saha termed the incident tragic and said the Uttarakhand government has committed to arresting the remaining accused at the earliest. Tripura Minister Santana Chakma also demanded swift justice, stressing the need to ensure accountability in cases of racial violence against people from the Northeast.