Dehradun MBA Student Angel Chakma Murder: Chargesheet Filed Against Four, Main Accused Still Absconding

Dehradun: More than two months after the death of Tripura student Angel Chakma, the Uttarakhand Police has filed a chargesheet against four accused, even as the alleged prime attacker remains at large.

For the unversed, Twenty-four-year-old Angel Chakma, a native of Nandanagar in Unakoti district of Tripura, was pursuing an MBA from a management college in Dehradun. He was attacked on the night of December 9 last year by a group of youngsters following an argument over alleged racist remarks. He was admitted in a city hospital and succumbed to injuries after 17 days. The post-mortem report stated that Chakma sustained severe head and body injuries. The incident is now widely followed across India.

Following the investigation, police detained several youngsters for question and arrested five. Three of them have been sent to jail and two minors are in a juvenile correction home. The chargesheet now has been prepared on the basis of electronic evidence, call detail records, physical evidence collected from the scene, and eyewitness statements.

Yagya Raj Awasthi, a resident of Nepal has been identified as the alleged main attacker, who is absconding. The authorities say they have received multiple inputs regarding his possible location, including reports suggesting he may have fled to Nepal. The city police maintains that efforts to arrest the absconding accused are ongoing. Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Dobal said special task force teams have been deployed near the Nepal border.

“A reward of Rs 1 lakh has already been announced. A lookout notice and Blue Corner Notice have been issued against him, and preparations are underway for a Red Corner Notice. High-level coordination is also being carried out to ensure his arrest even if he has fled to Nepal,” Dobal said. Officials said that filing the chargesheet is not the end of the investigation. Technical surveillance, informant networks, and other legal mechanisms are being used to track the prime accused. The officials also claimed that the four arrested accused were not merely present at the scene but were also involved in planning and executing the attack.

Legal questions over absconding main accused

Meanwhile, legal experts believe that the absence of the alleged main accused could pose a challenge for the prosecution in a murder trial. Filing the chargesheet within the stipulated time frame was legally necessary to prevent the arrested accused from obtaining default bail.

However, during trial, the defence may argue that the primary attacker has not yet been apprehended. If the prosecution fails to establish that the arrested accused played a decisive role in the conspiracy, instigation, or collective assault, the case could weaken in court.

Criminal lawyer Mohammad Kasif described the case as “highly sensitive and widely discussed.” He said, “It is true that the police must have filed the chargesheet based on available evidence. But when the alleged main attacker has not been arrested, the prosecution’s position appears somewhat weaker.”

He added, “If the chargesheet states that the main assault was carried out by the absconding accused and the others were merely present, the defence may argue that their role was limited. Mere presence at the scene is not sufficient to establish guilt for murder unless common intention or conspiracy is clearly proved.”

According to Kasif, bail will be a crucial issue at this stage. The defence could argue that direct allegations of fatal assault are primarily against the absconding accused, while the arrested individuals were involved only in a quarrel or peripheral acts.

“If the court finds that direct and strong evidence against the co-accused is limited, conditional bail may be granted. However, given that the case involves murder and has social sensitivity, the court will also weigh the gravity of the offence,” he said.

Read More:

1. Dehradun Police File Chargesheet In Tripura Student Anjel Chakma Murder, Prepare Red Corner Notice For Main Accused
2. Extradition Process Initiated For Chakma Murder Suspect Who Fled To Nepal: Uttarakhand Police
3. Angel Chakma Murder: Post-Mortem Reveals Brutal Assault, Spine Fractured; One Accused Still Absconding