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‘Brutally attacked, called Chinese': Angel Chakma's father describes horror after son's death
Tarun Chakma said that his son should get justice and that those responsible for his untimely death should be punished.
Tarun Chakma, the father of 24-year-old student from Tripura Angel Chakma who died weeks after being injured in an alleged racist canteen fight, said that his son was “brutally attacked” with blunt objects such as knives when he attempted to defend his brother when he faces racial slurs including being called “Chinese” by the culprits in Dehradun.
Tarun Chakma, who is a BSF jawan and is currently posted in Manipur’s Tangjeng, told news agency PTI that his sons were called racial slurs even though his son told the attackers that he "was also Indian, not Chinese".
He also alleged that police in Dehradun initially did not register a report about the attack and filed an FIR only after they faced pressure from the All India Chakma Students Union and senior officers.
Also read: ‘We are Indians’: Tripura student Angel Chakma’s last words before racist attack in Dehradun
Tarun’s son Angel Chakma died on Friday after fighting for his life for 17 days. He was an MBA student at a private university in Dehradun and had also secured a job, said his father.
The BSF jawan said that his son should get justice and that those responsible for his untimely death should be punished.
"Angel's neck was broken in the attack, which led to his death," he said.
Also read: Racial violence unacceptable, perpetrators must be punished: Sangma on Angela Chakma murder
What happened
Describing how the attack unfolded, Tarun said that Angel and his brother Michael were in the market when six people on a motorcycle and a scooter stopped near them. While Angel was on his motorcycle, the accused said something to Michael, who was standing nearby, and pushed him to the ground, following which Angel came to his brother’s defence. However, the accused hurled abuses at him, according to Tarun.
After hurling racial slurs at his sons, Tarun said that the accused “brutally attacked” Angel with knives and blunt objects, severely injuring his neck and back”.
However, Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh said on Saturday that the physical confrontation broke out of confusion while the accused were talking among themselves. "It seemed as if someone was commenting on him (Angel)," he said.
During the fight, Angel was attacked with sharp objects and a 'kadaa', following which he was taken to a hospital. However, Angel died on Friday.
The police said that a complaint was filed on December 10, following which, a case was registered and three accused and two minors were arrested and detained respectively on December 14.
(With inputs from PTI)
