Indian Locals Kill BSF Soldier’s Son in Dehradun After Tagging Him as ‘Chinese’

In a shocking incident of racial violence, a 24-year-old university student from Tripura was beaten to death in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, after being taunted as “Chinese momo” and attacked for protesting the racist slur.

Angel Chakma, a final-year MBA student at a private university in Dehradun, succumbed to his injuries on Friday (26 December) after fighting for life for 17 days in hospital. His father, Tarun Chakma, a serving Border Security Force (BSF) jawan currently posted in Manipur, has demanded justice for his son.

According to the father’s account, on 9 December, Angel and his brother Michael went to a local market. Six youths blocked their path, pushed Michael to the ground, and when Angel protested, they surrounded him, hurling racist abuses including “Chinese momo”. Angel tried to explain that he was Indian, not Chinese, but the attackers ignored him and assaulted him with knives and heavy objects, breaking his neck and spine.

The father alleged that police initially refused to register a case. Only after pressure from the All India Chakma Students Union and senior officers was an FIR lodged two to three days later.

Dehradun police said the attack stemmed from a verbal altercation, during which the assailants struck Angel on the head and back with sharp weapons and blunt objects. Five persons have been arrested so far, while one suspect is believed to have fled to Nepal.

The incident has once again highlighted the persistent issue of racial discrimination and violence faced by people from the Northeast in other parts of India.