Rahul Gandhi calls Dehradun killing of Tripura student a hate crime, targets BJP

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday described the killing of a Tripura student in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun as a “horrific hate crime” and accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of normalising hate through its leadership.

Twenty-four-year-old Angel Chakma, a resident of Nandannagar in West Tripura, was allegedly attacked by a group of six people on December 9 after he objected to a racial slur in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He succumbed to his injuries on December 26 while undergoing treatment. His brother Michael Chakma was also injured in the incident.

In a post on X, Gandhi said hate is not spontaneous. “What happened to Angel Chakma and his brother Michael in Dehradun is a horrific hate crime,” he wrote. “Hate doesn’t appear overnight. For years now, it is being fed daily — especially to our youth — through toxic content and irresponsible narratives. And it’s being normalised by the hate-spewing leadership of the ruling BJP.”

Gandhi said India is built on respect and unity, not fear and abuse. “We are a country of love and diversity. We must not become a dead society that looks away while fellow Indians are targeted,” he said, urging reflection on “what we are allowing our country to become.” He added that his thoughts were with the Chakma family and the people of Tripura and the Northeast.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Sunday that his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami had assured him that all those responsible for the killing would be arrested.

Meanwhile, thousands of students under the banner of the Tipra Indigenous Students' Federation held a candle march on Sunday demanding justice for Angel Chakma. The procession covered about a kilometre from the North Gate of Ujjayanta Palace.