Saikia condemns Anjel Chakma murder, slams UK govt over 'racial' angle

Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia condemned the murder of Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun, accusing the Uttarakhand government of hiding facts by denying racial abuse. He plans to urge PM Modi to add content on diversity to textbooks.

Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia, who is Leader of Opposition in the state, has condemned the murder of Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun and accused the Uttarakhand government over purported remarks of state police that they have not found evidence of racial abuse.

Saikia Blames 'Failure of Lawmakers', Suggests Educational Reform

Saikia told ANI that the incident reflects the failure of the lawmakers and the administration. He accused the Uttarakhand government of trying to hide facts.

Saikia said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include relevant portion in textbooks to sensitise children about India's varied and rich culture. "Northeastern people are regarded as foreigners all over India due to a lack of knowledge about the ethnicities of India... Police cannot deny this... This is due to the failure of the lawmakers and the administration... I have decided to write a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to insert a paragraph (in textbooks) on how people in the North East are different, how South Indian people look different, and how India is a multiracial society," he said.

"They should put on a coloured map of India in every textbook for some time... I condemn this incident, and I condemn the Uttarakhand government for trying to hide the facts and say that it is non-racial...," Saikia added.

SIT Probe Launched, Reward Announced

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Singh has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder case of Tripura student Anjel Chakma, who was 24. The police have seized CCTV footage from the crime scene. The Police have announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the main absconding accused, Yagya Raj Awasthi.

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.

Ajay Singh said earlier that five people have been arrested and teams have been formed to locate the sixth accused, who is on the run.

Uttarakhand CM Assures Justice

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday expressed condolences and assured justice for Tripura student Anjel Chakma's family, whose death in Dehradun sparked outrage. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)