'Ensure Safety Of North East Students On Highest Priority': Priyank Kanoongo Says State Govt Served NHRC Notice On Angel Chakma's Death

New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanoongo on Tuesday said that a cognisance has been taken of the murder of student Anjel Chakma from Tripura, and authorities have been instructed to ensure the safety of students from the northeast residing in Uttarakhand.

"I have taken cognizance of the murder of a student from Tripura in Dehradun. Notice has been issued to the State Government seeking a report on action taken so far. The Chief Secretary and DGP have been directed to ensure, on highest priority, the safety of students from the Northeast across the state," Kanoongo posted on X.

Chakma, an MBA student, was attacked by a group of miscreants with knives and other blunt objects in Dehradun on December 9 and later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The brutal killing of Anjel Chakma, a student from Tripura, in Dehradun has sparked widespread outrage across the political fraternity, with leaders condemning the incident and demanding swift justice.

Five of the accused have already been arrested, including two minors sent to a juvenile reform home, while the sixth accused, a Nepalese national, remains at large with a reward of Rs 25,000 announced for his capture.

The Uttarakhand government has assured that all possible measures are being taken to ensure the perpetrators face the harshest possible punishment and to ensure the safety of northeast students across the country.

However, the opposition has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government at both the Centre and the State level of spreading "hatred", which allegedly resulted in the killing of the student.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of "normalising hate", which he said was leading to such incidents.

"What happened to Anjel Chakma and his brother Michael in Dehradun is a horrific hate crime. Hate doesn't appear overnight. For years now it is being fed daily - especially to our youth - through toxic content and irresponsible narratives. And it's being normalised by the hate-spewing leadership of the ruling BJP," Lok Sabha LoP said in a post on X."India is built on respect and unity, not fear and abuse. We are a country of love and diversity. We must not become a dead society that looks away while fellow Indians are targeted. We must reflect and confront what we are allowing our country to become," he added.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday stressed the urgent need to ensure the safety and protection of people from India's Northeast region following the death of Angel Chakma, a student from Tripura, who was brutally stabbed in Dehradun after allegedly facing racial abuse.

"There should be protection for the people of the Northeast," Rijiju said.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has approved the financial assistance for Tarun Prasad Chakma, the father of Tripura student Anjel Chakma, who was brutally stabbed in Dehradun after allegedly facing racial abuse.

According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the first instalment of Rs 4,12,500 has been released. This assistance has been sanctioned under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955.

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