The family of Anjel Chakma (24), who was killed by miscreants in Dehradun, has demanded capital punishment or at least life imprisonment for all the accused involved in the incident.
"We will never get back Anjel, but his family wants capital punishment or at least life term imprisonment for those involved in the gruesome murder. Anjel had repeatedly said that he was an Indian, but the miscreants mindlessly stabbed him twice in the back and broke his neck, leading to his death after 17 days of battle for life," said his maternal uncle, Momen Chakma.
Anjel, a resident of Machmara in Tripura’s Unakoti district, had gone to Dehradun after completing his graduation from Holy Cross School, Agartala, to pursue an MBA.
He was stabbed to death in the presence of his younger brother Michael and succumbed to his injuries after battling for life for 17 days.
Momen urged the government to take steps to ensure that people from the Northeast do not face racial hate crimes.
He said, "The people of Machmara, irrespective of caste and religion, will hold a candle march in memory of Anjel on Tuesday, seeking justice for his family."
"Anjel was about to join a company after his final semester examination as he had received a placement offer because of his first year's result with 80 per cent marks," Momen told PTI over phone.
He added that Anjel had told his father, Tarun Prasad Chakma, a BSF jawan posted in Manipur, to take voluntary retirement once he got a job.
"The family's dream of having a decent life has been completely shattered by the unfortunate incident on December 26," said Momen, who rushed to Dehradun soon after the incident.
"Anjel's family is completely devastated by the incident. Both father and younger son are undergoing 'Sarema' (a mandatory post-death ritual in Buddhist religion) at a local Buddhist temple for a week. His mother, Gouri Mati Chakma, is also completely shattered," he said.
Momen said the family is heading towards uncertainty as Anjel’s father had bought a new home at Nandannagar on the outskirts of Agartala by taking a huge loan.
"Besides, Anjel had taken an educational loan to pursue an MBA from Dehradun. We all know pursuing such a course in Dehradun is expensive. Now everything is lost," he said.
Recalling Anjel’s last wish, Momen said he wanted to travel to Nepal to witness snowfall.
"He had ordered special shoes as part of his preparation to visit Nepal. We received the order, but Anjel could not see the shoes because by then he was in the ICU. I will go to Nepal with these shoes to fulfil his unfinished and last wish," said Momen, a state government engineer.
