Angel Chakma Murder: PIL in Supreme Court Seeks Hate Crime Guidelines After Racial Killing

The plea filed by Anoop Prakash Awasthi arises from the killing of 24-year-old MBA student Anjel Chakma from Tripura, who succumbed to grievous injuries on December 27, 2025, after a racially charged assault in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

According to media reports, the incident occurred on December 9, 2025, in the Selaqui area of Dehradun. Mr. Chakma and his younger brother were shopping when they were allegedly accosted by a group of men who targeted them with racial slurs and derogatory abuse solely due to their North-Eastern appearance. When Mr. Chakma protested the abuse and asserted his identity as an Indian citizen, he reportedly said, “We are Indians. What certificate should we show to prove that?” words that the petition notes tragically became his last recorded assertion of constitutional belonging.

The confrontation allegedly escalated into a violent attack, during which both brothers were beaten and stabbed. Mr. Chakma sustained severe injuries to his neck and spine and remained unconscious throughout his treatment. After more than fourteen days of intensive medical care, he succumbed to his injuries on December 27, triggering protests, anguish, and demands for justice across the country.

The petition argues that despite the unmistakable racial and hate-based motivation of the crime, India’s criminal justice system lacks any mechanism to recognise or record racial bias as a distinct aggravating factor at the initial stage. As a result, such offences are routinely treated as ordinary crimes, leading to dilution of constitutional gravity, erasure of motive, and a pattern of impunity.

Referring to earlier incidents such as the 2014 death of Nido Taniam and multiple assaults on students and workers from the North-East in metropolitan cities, the plea notes that the Union government has formally acknowledged the problem in parliamentary replies. However, it contends that no dedicated legislative or institutional framework has been created to address racially motivated violence.

The petition points out that even after the enactment of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, there is still no statutory recognition of hate crimes or racial offences. There is no mandatory requirement for police to record bias motivation at the FIR stage, nor are there specialised investigative protocols or victim-protection mechanisms. This legislative vacuum, the plea submits, undermines Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Constitution, and strikes at the core constitutional value of fraternity enshrined in the Preamble.

Invoking the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, the petitioner seeks the issuance of binding guidelines to recognise racially motivated violence as a distinct constitutional wrong.

The petition further situates the issue within India’s civilisational ethos, arguing that racial discrimination and violence are not only unconstitutional but anti-civilisational. It states that it is brought without any personal or oblique motive. It calls upon the apex court, as the “sentinel on the qui vive,” to respond to what it describes as a crisis that threatens the moral foundation, unity, and constitutional conscience of the nation.

The petitioner has sought the Court’s intervention to address the persistent issue of racial discrimination and violence against Indian citizens from the north-eastern states and other frontier regions of the country. It urges to issue directions to protect citizens from such targeted abuse and to ensure equal treatment under the law.

It has requested to formulate comprehensive guidelines,until suitable legislation is enacted, recognising “racial slur” as a distinct category of hate crime and prescribing appropriate punishment for offenders. It also calls for the establishment of a nodal agency or a permanent body at both the Central and State levels to register and redress racial crimes, alongside the creation of dedicated special police units in every district and metropolitan area to handle such offences. Further, it seeks directions for the organisation of workshops, seminars, and debates in educational institutions to raise awareness and promote social harmony.