A young life from India’s Northeast was lost not in a war zone or a natural disaster, but on the streets of mainland India after standing up against racial abuse. Angel Chakma, MBA student from Tripura, succumbed to his injuries after being stabbed during a violent altercation triggered by racial slurs. His only fault was protesting when he and his younger brother were allegedly called derogatory names such as “chinki”, “Chinese”, “Nepali”, and “momo”.
In an exclusive conversation with Times Now, a close friend of Angel, who was present at the time of the incident, recalled the horrific moments that changed everything.
Angel was a simple, kind-hearted guy from the Northeast. When the attackers started abusing his brother, he could not stay silent. He stepped in to protect his brother. That was when he was stabbed, his friend said, his voice heavy with grief.
“I went to meet him at the hospital, this incident has never happened before there. I was with him, the family is in Tripura. He and his brother went to buy things from the market. Six people were drunk, and one of them was from Nepal. Others were local. They abused the younger brother (Michael) first, saying “momo” and “chinki,” and then they started beating him, and when Angel went to save him, he was stabbed in the backbone and stomach. He was also hit in the head with a kadaa,” his friend, who is from Haldwani, told Times Now.
“An MRI was done, then his backbone surgery was done, and he was okay. But he was complaining of pain in the head. During the night, the doctor called to say that he would be put on a ventilator. On the 26th, we got the call that he had passed away,” he added.
Main accused from Nepal absconding: Angel Chakma’s friend
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has condemned the incident and stated that he had spoken to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who assured him that action was being taken and arrests had been made. Five people have been arrested. However, the prime accused, who stabbed Chakma, is still absconding.
According to the eyewitness, the main accused has been identified as Yagya Awasthi and is from Nepal. He alleged that after the incident, the accused had managed to flee back to his country.
“This kind of fight keeps happening, but to this extent, this has never happened. The accused were highly intoxicated. The others were locals, but the man who stabbed him was from Nepal, he has not been caught yet. I don’t know how the main accused managed to flee to Nepal or who is at fault, I can’t say,” he added.
Also Read: Tripura Youth Succumbs to Injuries Sustained in Fight: Dehradun Police
Meanwhile, the Youth Tipra Federation, in a Facebook post, expressed grief over Angel Chakma’s death and demanded justice.
“In this moment of profound grief, we stand in solidarity with his family. Those responsible for this heinous act must be identified and brought to justice without delay. We urge the authorities to ensure a fair, thorough, and time-bound investigation so that accountability is upheld,” the post read.
