Agartala, Jan 14: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday said he would once again raise the issue of the killing of Tripura student Angel Chakma with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to expedite the investigation into the case.
Angel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA final-year student, was allegedly killed in a racially motivated attack in Dehradun. He succumbed to his injuries on December 26 after battling for life for 18 days in a hospital.
On Wednesday, Saha visited Angel’s family at their residence in Nandan Nagar on the outskirts of Agartala and assured them of all possible support from the state government. Expressing condolences in a post on X, the Chief Minister said he would personally take up the matter with his Uttarakhand counterpart to ensure a speedy and fair investigation.
Later, speaking to the media, Saha said he would visit New Delhi on January 18 to attend a two-day meeting of Chief Ministers scheduled for January 19–20, during which he plans to discuss the case with Chief Minister Dhami.
He noted that the Uttarakhand government had informed him that five accused have already been arrested and a financial reward announced to nab the sixth accused. “Since the incident, I have been in constant touch with the Uttarakhand government,” Saha said.
According to preliminary information, the attackers first assaulted Angel’s younger brother, Michael Chakma. When Angel intervened to protect him, he was brutally attacked on December 9.
The Tripura government has provided an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family and is considering further assistance. The Uttarakhand government has extended Rs 4.12 lakh, while the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council has given Rs 3 lakh as financial aid.
The family has demanded a CBI probe into the incident, which has sparked widespread outrage across all eight northeastern states. Political leaders and organisations across party lines have condemned the killing, holding protests and candlelight marches.
Senior BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay also met the family, demanding exemplary punishment and proposing a government job for Michael Chakma, along with a special Northeast cell in the Uttarakhand Police to address racial discrimination.
