Tripura student murder: Racist attack or not? Why police and family are telling two very different stories

• Anjel Chakma's family disputes police dismissal of racial abuse as crime motive
• Dehradun Police forms SIT, assures sensitive investigation into Anjel's death
• Family and activists criticize police statements as premature and insensitive

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The family of Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old man from Tripura who was killed in Dehradun earlier this month, has strongly objected to statements made by the city’s police chief dismissing racial abuse as a possible motive behind the crime.

According to the family, this claim goes against the account given by Anjel’s younger brother Michael, who witnessed the attack and is the main complainant in the case.

Meanwhile, Dehradun Police has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case. Announcing the development at a press conference on Tuesday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajai Singh said the police are handling the case with "complete sensitivity" and assured that no aspect of the incident will be overlooked.

Momen Chakma, Anjel’s uncle, said the police were ignoring the words of the only eyewitness. He arrived in Dehradun soon after the incident and said Michael clearly told the police about the abuse that took place before the assault. “Michael was present when everything happened. He is not just a relative but the complainant in the case. The attack happened very quickly. How can anyone expect him to stop and record a video in such a moment?” Momen was quoted by TOI as saying.

“Instead of listening to the person who saw it unfold, they are issuing public statements without even completing the investigation,” he added.

Responding to the criticism, Dehradun SSP Singh said on Tuesday that Michael’s original complaint mentioned “casteist slurs” but did not specifically refer to racial slurs. The SSP said the family stayed in Dehradun until December 27 and did not raise the issue of racial abuse during that time.

“If the family wants to provide more details now, we are open to including them in the investigation,” Singh said. He added that the case is still under investigation and all evidence is being collected before filing the chargesheet.

Police earlier said they had not found signs of racial provocation, pointing out that some of the accused belong to different ethnic backgrounds. This statement has upset the family, who described it as ‘premature and insensitive.’

According to the family, Anjel and his brother Michael were attacked by a group of six men after they objected to the group’s behaviour on December 9. Michael has alleged that the attackers used racial slurs such as “chinki”, “Chinese” and “momo” before the situation turned violent. Michael was injured in the attack, while Anjel later died due to his injuries.

"It's not just about one word or one insult. It's about whether our voices are even considered valid when we speak,” Momen said.

The police claim that two of the accused are from Manipur and Nepal, which they say weakens the racial angle. However, this reasoning has drawn criticism from activists and civil society groups from the Northeast, who say such statements show a lack of understanding of the region’s ethnic diversity.