Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi alleged an attempt to bury the case of Tripura student Angel Chakma’s murder in Dehradun. He slammed the police for a 12-day case registration delay and accused the administration of a cover-up.
Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday alleged that attempts are being made to bury the matter on the death of a Tripura student, Angel Chakma, who was fatally attacked by a group of miscreants with knives and other blunt objects in Dehradun.
Gogoi condemned the police for taking 12 days to register the case and accused the administration of trying to brush the matter under the carpet. “It took 12 days to register the case in the first place, and now with such a statement from the SSP again, it feels like there is an attempt to bury the matter somewhere under the directions of the administration there and the CM….” Gogoi told ANI.
He further levelled accusations against the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, for talking to Chakma’s father over a loudspeaker, calling it a “publicity stunt.”
Terming the event “unfortunate”, Gogoi shed light on the suffering of Angel’s father, saying, “This is unfortunate. You can imagine how big a wound it is for a father to lose his son, and especially the father who devoted his entire life to the security of our country on the border.”
Gogoi Slams Centre on Northeast Security
Questioning the government’s security measures for the North-east, Gogoi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for not bolstering the security to prevent such events. “Prime Minister and Home Minister should reflect on whether or not they have been able to sensitise the security forces towards the northeastern communities, because the reactions and statements on the matter from the Uttarakhand SSP and CM have been quite insensitive,” Gogoi asserted.
Refering to the Prime Minister and Home Minister’s “incompetence” in resolving the conflicts in the state of Manipur, Gogoi said, “The Prime Minister took 2 years to visit Manipur and the Home Minister was unable to control the situation in Manipur, so how do we expect them to solve the issues of the Northeast, such as drug smuggling, cow trafficking, etc.”
The Congress MP further took a dig at the Guspethiyas in Assam, alleging that the “BJP government hasn’t been able to remove them in Bihar even after SIR.”
“PM Modi hasn’t been able to fulfil his longstanding promises made to the people of the Northeast, such as removing the illegal migrants coming from Bangladesh, and it is because of their incapability to serve citizens in the last decade that the Home Minister is still asking for five more years from the people,” Gogoi said.
Gogoi referred to the lapses in the investigation of singer Zubeen Garg’s death that raised several questions, alleging that “the people in Assam are losing their trust in the BJP and are now hoping for a better state.”
PIL Filed in Supreme Court
Following the tragic murder of 24-year-old Anjel Chakma, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court, flagging lacunae in our criminal laws to recognise racially charged violence against Indians from north-eastern states.
The PIL has been filed by Advocate Anoop Kumar Awasthi seeking issuance of binding guidelines in the light of such racially charged, violent attacks.
The plea underscores that the said murder was reportedly preceded by taunts and racial slurs questioning the victim’s nationality and identity. Further, it states that the attack was triggered by the persistent social trope that individuals with East or South-East Asian features are “outsiders” or “foreigners” within their own country, rather than any serious provocation.
“This (social) trope, repeated casually in public discourse, acquires lethal force when normalised by silence and institutional indifference”, the plea states. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)