BJP ally TMP urges Centre to enact anti-racial law to protect Northeast people      

The Tipra Motha Party (TMP), a junior ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura, on Wednesday urged the Central government to immediately enact a comprehensive anti-racial law to safeguard people from the Northeast residing in different parts of the country.

Addressing a press conference, TMP spokespersons Rajeshwar Debbarma, C.K. Jamatia and Anthony Debbarma said that the absence of a specific anti-racial legislation has allowed incidents of discrimination and racially motivated violence to continue unchecked. They asserted that enactment of such a law would enable systematic and effective action against racism, helping curb discriminatory mindsets and prevent heinous acts targeting people from the Northeast.

The tribal party raised the demand in the wake of the killing of Tripura student Angel Chakma, who was brutally assaulted in Dehradun on December 9. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on December 26. The 24-year-old final-year MBA student of a university in Uttarakhand, belonging to the Chakma tribal community, was grievously injured after being attacked by a group of miscreants, who allegedly hurled racial slurs at him. Chakma, the son of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, succumbed to his injuries after battling for his life for 18 days at a hospital in Dehradun.

TMP leader Rajeshwar Debbarma said that the party is demanding exemplary punishment for the perpetrators and the application of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Rajeshwar Debbarma and other TMP leaders criticised the Uttarakhand government for the delay in taking action against the attackers. “The police in Dehradun registered the case only after the Lok Sabha member from Tripura, Kriti Devi Debbarman, spoke to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister over the phone, and after Angel’s father, Tarun Prasad Chakma, reached Dehradun and approached the police,” Anthony Debbarma said.

TMP supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, lambasting the Uttarakhand government and the state police, claimed that they were attempting to divert the nature of the incident by portraying it as not being racially motivated. “The attackers branded Angel as ‘Chinki’, ‘Chinese’ and ‘Momo’ and brutally assaulted him, even as his father, a BSF soldier, was guarding the borders and protecting the country and its people,” Pradyot Debbarma said in a video message.

He said that officials and people across India must understand that many migrant people of different communities live in the Northeastern states as well, referring to the Dehradun police’s claim that one of the arrested attackers is from Manipur. The TMP chief urged the people of the Northeast to unite to protect their common interests and fight against racism.

Pradyot Debbarma once again demanded immediate and exemplary punishment for those responsible and announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the main accused, who has reportedly fled to Nepal.

The incident sparked widespread outrage across the Northeastern region, with Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha and Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and several organisations condemning the assault and describing it as a “horrific hate crime”.

Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Tripura Congress state President Ashish Kumar Saha, the National People’s Party headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Sangma, the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), an apex body representing eight major students’ organisations of the Northeastern states, the All India Chakma Students’ Union (AICSU), the Manipuri Students’ Federation, the Tripura Tribal Students’ Union and several other organisations also strongly condemned the killing and demanded strict punishment for the perpetrators.