The brutal murder of 24-year-old Angel Chakma in Dehradun in December 2025 has once again thrust the spotlight on the enduring racism faced by people from Northeast India, joining a heartbreaking lineage of young lives cut short. A 19-year-old Richard Loitam from Manipur was found dead in his Bangalore hostel in 2012 after an altercation amid allegations of racist assault, another 19-year-old Nido Taniam from Arunachal Pradesh was beaten to death in Delhi in 2014 over racial taunts about his hairstyle; and again a 22-year-old Pravish Chanam from Manipur, whose body was discovered and hastily cremated in Greater Noida in 2017 following his mysterious disappearance. These four young men—from Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur—represent a tragic pattern of violence, suspicion, and institutional indifference that continues to haunt Northeast migrants in mainland India.
On December 9, 2025, Angel and his younger brother Michael were out buying groceries in Dehradun’s Selaqui area when a group of men allegedly hurled racial slurs at them—”Chinki,” “Chinese,” “Momo”—mocking their distinct features.
When Angel protested, defiantly stating, “We are not Chinese, we are Indians—what certificate do we need to prove it?”, the mockery escalated into savage violence. He was stabbed multiple times and beaten severely with rods and other objects, suffering critical brain and spinal injuries.
Angel fought for his life in hospital for over two weeks before succumbing on December 26.
As of December 30, 2025, six individuals have been booked, with five arrested (including two juveniles) and the murder weapon recovered. The main accused, reportedly from Nepal and living in Haridwar, remains absconding, with police teams dispatched to Nepal for his capture and a reward announced.
Protests have erupted across Tripura, including candlelight marches and demands for compensation, swift justice, and even transferring the trial outside Uttarakhand due to distrust in local authorities.
The National Human Rights Commission has taken cognizance, directing enhanced safety measures for Northeast students, while political figures like Rahul Gandhi have condemned it as a “horrific hate crime.” Uttarakhand police have controversially downplayed any racial motive, describing it as a scuffle over “remarks in jest” during a birthday party, noting one accused is from Manipur (non local).
However, the family’s FIR, eyewitness accounts, delayed registration complaints, and widespread outrage—including from Angel’s father alleging initial police refusal to file a case—point to targeted racial violence.Angel Chakma’s death painfully echoes a long line of similar tragedies involving Northeast Indians, where racial “othering” turns deadly, only for investigations to often minimize or dismiss the hate element.
In 2022, Richard Loitam, a 19-year-old architecture student from Manipur studying in Bangalore. On April 17, Richard reportedly argued with his roommate Vishal Banerjee over changing the TV channel during an IPL match; another student, Sayed Afzal Ali, intervened and punched him repeatedly in the face and head. He had also sustained minor injuries from a scooter accident days earlier.
Found dead in his hostel room on April 18, initial reports suggested unnatural death linked to the accident. However, friends and family alleged a racist-motivated brutal assault by seniors. Richard’s mother, R.K. Vidyabali Devi, vehemently rejected police claims of drug abuse or non-criminal causes, calling them a “baseless cover-up” and demanding homicide charges.
His father, Loitam Rajesh, questioned timelines and denied defamation through drug allegations, emphasizing Richard’s good character. A cousin publicly appealed for justice.The death sparked massive nationwide outrage: protests in Delhi (Jantar Mantar), Bangalore, Imphal, Pune, Kolkata, and even abroad; a viral Facebook campaign “Justice for Richard Loitam” with over 170,000 members; candle marches and sit-ins with slogans like “Don’t kill Richard Loitam twice.”
Pressure forced police to upgrade from unnatural death to murder, booking two students and transferring the probe to CID. Yet, forensic and histopathological reports ruled out murder or culpable homicide, attributing death to possible hereditary cardiac issues exacerbated by injuries.
No convictions followed; the case closed without criminal liability, dismissed as non-homicidal despite the family’s persistent rejection of the findings.
The same pattern repeats in 2014, 19-year-old Nido Taniam from Arunachal Pradesh was beaten to death in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market after shopkeepers mocked his blonde-dyed hair with racial slurs. What started as taunts escalated into a brutal daylight assault with rods and sticks across multiple locations, causing severe lung and brain injuries. Nationwide protests followed, leading to the formation of the Bezbaruah Committee on anti-racism measures. The case saw convictions in 2019 for culpable homicide (not murder), with sentences ranging from 3 to 10 years, though some accused later received bail, leaving families feeling justice was incomplete.
Similarly tragic was the 2017 disappearance and death of 22-year-old Pravish Chanam from Manipur. Pravish, studying in Hyderabad, traveled to Greater Noida for a Chainsmokers concert on September 8. Last seen around 10 pm after consuming alcohol with friends (who left with his phone and wallet, assuming he went elsewhere), he vanished.
His brother Ravikanta filed a missing report on September 9 at Knowledge Park police station. That same day, Pravish’s body was found in nearby Nithari village with fatal head injuries, sent for post-mortem—but shockingly cremated on September 11 without family notification or identification, despite active missing pamphlets.
The family learned of the cremation only on September 14, fueling allegations of cover-up, possible murder, or even organ trafficking. Ravikanta publicly accused “clear criminal intent” in concealing the body and demanded a CBI probe, detailing police lapses.
Protests erupted in that case too. Northeast students rallied outside Uttar Pradesh Bhawan in Delhi; groups like Manipur Students’ Association threatened bandhs; rights organizations campaigned relentlessly.
Three policemen were suspended, but UP police initially closed the case amid “shoddy investigation” criticism.
In 2021, a CBI court in Ghaziabad accepted the family’s protest petition, slamming the probe’s “sinister potential” and ordering reinvestigation. Yet, as of the latest updates, no perpetrators have been arrested, and the case remains unresolved, with ongoing pleas for justice.
These cases—from Nido Taniam’s fatal beating over his hairstyle, Richard Loitam’s disputed hostel death amid racism accusations and family outrage, to Pravish Chanam’s mysterious end with botched handling and protests—expose a systemic issue.
Northeast Indians, marked by Mongoloid features, are routinely dehumanized as “foreigners” in their own country. Slurs like “Chinki” pave the way for harassment, evictions, assaults, and murder, with spikes during COVID-19 when they were scapegoated for the virus.Enough.
Angel’s poignant words—”We are Indians”—lay bare the farce of national unity while alienating fellow citizens. Dust off the Bezbaruah Committee’s 2014 recommendations: enact dedicated anti-racism laws, fast-track hate crimes, enforce police sensitivity training, and roll out nationwide awareness drives.
Leaders must move beyond condolences to accountability.Until society dismantles this chauvinism, more lives like Angel’s, Nido’s, Richard’s, and Pravish’s will be claimed by hate—not mere “scuffles.”
Justice for Angel Chakma requires profound change, or his name will join a growing list of the forgotten.
Naorem Mohen is the Editor of Signpost News. Explore his views and opinion on X: @laimacha.
Naorem Mohen
View More PostsNaorem Mohen is the Editor of Signpost News. Explore his views and opinion on X: @laimacha.
