Agartala, Jan 4 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Tripura Assembly and CPI-M Politburo member Jitendra Chaudhury on Sunday demanded that one member of the family of Angel Chakma, who was brutally assaulted in Dehradun and later succumbed to his injuries, be provided a government job.

Chaudhury, who is also the state secretary of the CPI(M), on Saturday visited Chakma’s residence at Machmara in Tripura’s Unakoti district and strongly criticised the handling of the case by the Uttarakhand Police, alleging delays in registering the case and arresting the perpetrators.

He said that the Uttarakhand Police registered the murder case belatedly and handled the investigation in a sluggish manner.

The Dehradun Police initially booked the case under relatively less stringent sections of law, despite the fact that Angel Chakma had been grievously stabbed and assaulted by a group of people who allegedly hurled racial slurs at him during the attack.

Quoting Angel’s father, Tarun Prasad Chakma, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, the Left leader said that the 24-year-old MBA final-year student might have survived had timely and proper medical treatment been provided.

The LoP urged the Tripura government to take up the matter with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and request that a government job be arranged for a member of Angel Chakma’s family.

Meanwhile, the Dehradun Police have arrested five accused in connection with the killing.

The Uttarakhand government has provided an ex gratia of Rs 4.12 lakh to the bereaved family, while the Tripura government extended an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh. The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) has also provided Rs 3 lakh to the family.

Angel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA final-year student, was allegedly attacked by a racist mob in Uttarakhand’s capital Dehradun on December 9. He succumbed to his injuries on December 26 after battling for his life in hospital for 18 days.

The incident triggered widespread outrage across all eight Northeastern states, with leaders from almost all political parties, including the BJP, Congress, Tipra Motha Party and Left parties, demanding strict punishment for those involved in the crime.

Several organisations organised candlelight marches, torch rallies and other protest programmes in Agartala and other places to condemn the killing.

Meanwhile, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Uttarakhand and former Rajya Sabha member Tarun Vijay, after meeting Chakma’s family in Unakoti district on Friday, also demanded the strictest punishment for those responsible.

Condemning the incident, Vijay said exemplary punishment must be awarded to the culprits to deter such crimes in the future.

He added that Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has held several discussions with his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the case.

Vijay also proposed that Angel Chakma’s younger brother, Michael Chakma, be provided a government job in Tripura to ensure the family’s financial stability.

He further suggested the formation of a special Northeast cell within the Uttarakhand Police to address cases of racial abuse and discrimination.

–IANS

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