AGARTALA, Dec 30: Seeking the harshest punishment for his killers, the family of Anjel Chakma, who was murdered in Dehradun, on Tuesday demanded capital punishment or life imprisonment for all the accused.
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 attacked by a group of youths in the presence of his younger brother, Michael, and succumbed to his injuries on December 26 after battling for life for 17 days.
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Recalling Anjel’s last wish, his maternal uncle Momen Chakma said his nephew wanted to travel to Nepal to witness snowfall.
“He had ordered special shoes as part of his preparation for the trip. The shoes arrived when he was already in the ICU. I will go to Nepal with those shoes to fulfil his unfinished wish,” Momen, a state government engineer, told PTI.
“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 he was an Indian, but the killers mindlessly stabbed him twice in the back and broke his neck, leading to his death after 17 days of battle for life,” said Momen said.
He urged the government to take steps so that people from the Northeast don’t face racial hate crimes. “Anjel was about to join a company after his final semester examination as he had received a placement offer based on his first-year result, in which he scored 80 per cent,” Momen said over the phone.
He (Anjel) had told his father, Tarun Prasad Chakma, a BSF jawan posted in Manipur, to take voluntary retirement once he got a job, Momen said.
“The family’s dream of having a decent life has been completely shattered by the unfortunate incident on December 26,” Momen, who rushed to Dehradun soon after the incident, said.
“Anjel’s family is completely devastated by the incident. Both father and younger son are undergoing ‘Sarema’ (a mandatory post-death ritual observed by Buddhists) at a local monastery for a week. His mother, Gouri Mati Chakma, is also completely shattered,” he said.
Momen said Anjel’s family is heading towards uncertainty because his father had bought a new home at Nandannagar on the outskirts of Agartala with 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.
Tripura Social Welfare Minister Tinku Roy met Anjel’s mother Gouri Mati Chakma at their home and handed over two cheques amounting to Rs 9.12 lakh as financial assistance.
Out of the total amount, Rs 5 lakh was provided by the Tripura government and Rs 4.12 lakh was given by the Uttarakhand government. (PTI)
