New Delhi: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking judicial intervention to address the “continuing constitutional failure” in preventing and responding to racial discrimination and violence against citizens from northeastern states and other frontier regions.
The PIL, filed on December 28, comes in the wake of the brutal killing of 24-year-old Anjel Chakma, an MBA student from Tripura, who succumbed on December 27 to severe injuries sustained in a racially motivated attack in the Selaqui area of Dehradun.
Anjel, a resident of Machmara in Unakoti district, had moved to Dehradun to pursue his MBA after completing graduation at Holy Cross School, Agartala. He was stabbed to death in the presence of his younger brother, Michael. The Chakma family has demanded capital punishment or at least life imprisonment for all the accused involved in the incident.
The PIL, filed by Delhi-based lawyer Anoop Prakash Awasthi, has made the Centre, all states, and Union Territories parties to the plea.
The petition stated: “This writ petition is being filed under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking issuance of writs, directions, or orders for the violation of fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(a) & (g), and 21, thereby seeking judicial intervention to address racial discrimination and violence against Indian citizens from the northeastern states and other frontier regions.”
The plea highlighted Anjel Chakma’s last words: “We are Indians. What certificate should we show to prove that?” A statement that tragically reflected his constitutional belonging before the confrontation escalated into fatal violence.
According to the plea, the attackers allegedly assaulted and stabbed both brothers. Anjel sustained severe injuries to his neck and spine, remained unconscious during treatment, and died after more than fourteen days in intensive care. His death triggered widespread protests and demands for justice across the country.
The petition urged the court to issue an appropriate writ, at least ad interim until legislation is made, to formulate comprehensive guidelines, recognise “racial slur” as a separate category of hate crimes, and determine corresponding punishments.
It also sought directions for the Centre and states to create a nodal agency, permanent body, commission, or directorate at the central and state levels to report and redress racial crimes, and to establish dedicated special police units in each district and metropolitan area to address such offences.
Further, the plea called for organising workshops and debates in educational institutions on racial discrimination and its redressal.
The petition pointed out that India’s criminal justice system currently lacks a mechanism to recognise or record racial bias at the initial stage of investigation, resulting in such offences being treated as ordinary crimes, “erasing motive, diluting constitutional gravity, and perpetuating a pattern of impunity.”
The plea emphasised that Anjel Chakma’s killing is not an isolated incident but part of a long-standing pattern of racial abuse and violence against citizens from northeastern states. It cited earlier cases, including the death of Nido Taniam in 2014 and multiple assaults on students and workers in metropolitan cities, incidents acknowledged by the Centre in parliamentary replies but, according to the petitioner, remain unaddressed through any dedicated legislative or institutional framework.
With PTI inputs