Dehradun Assault: BSF Soldier's Son Dies After 17 Days In Hospital; Five Arrested So Far

Dehradun: A final-year MBA student from Tripura, who was critically injured after being stabbed for allegedly protesting casteist and racial slurs here earlier this month, died on Friday at the hospital after battling for life for 17 days. As per police, murder charges have been added to the case after the student's death.

The incident took place on the night of December 9 in the Selaqui area, when a group of local youths allegedly subjected Angel Chakma and his younger brother, Michael Chakma, to racist remarks, leading to an argument. The altercation soon turned violent, with the youths assaulting the brothers with sharp weapons and rods, severely injuring Angel Chakma. He was rushed to a private hospital, where he remained under treatment for more than two weeks, before succumbing to his injuries on Friday morning (December 26).

Michael Chakma, son of BSF soldier Tarun Prasad and a resident of Nanda Nagar Gas Godown in Tripura, lodged a complaint at the Selaqui police station on the night of the incident. Michael said in the complaint that he and his brother had gone to the local market when a group of unidentified youths abused them, which subsequently ended up in violence when they opposed the racial remarks made by the alleged attackers.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case against unknown persons under relevant sections of the IPC.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh directed a swift investigation, following which five accused were arrested on December 14 with the help of local intelligence inputs.

During interrogation, the arrested men reportedly told police that the confrontation began near a liquor shop in the Selaqui area, where an argument broke out with the students. The situation spiralled, leading to the violent assault.

Police said one of the accused, a minor, is still absconding and is believed to have fled to Nepal. A reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced for information leading to his arrest, and efforts are ongoing to trace him.

Angel Chakma was a final-year MBA student at Jigyasa University and lived in Dehradun with his brother, who is pursuing his studies at Uttaranchal University.

Confirming the development, SP (Rural) Pankaj Gairola said the student had sustained stab injuries in the December 9 incident and had been undergoing treatment since then. "With his death, the case has now been converted to murder. Five accused are in custody, while the minor involved remains at large," he said.

Condemning the incident, Major Digvijay Singh Rawat said the country needs a course correction before it's too late to realise the damage. "Angel Chakma, the son of a BSF soldier from Tripura, was killed in Devbhumi Uttarakhand after being subjected to racial slurs by radicals. The country needs a course correction before it's too late to realise the damage. We blamed Britishers for dividing us, now who is to blame for all this hatred within our own country???" he said in a post on X.