Racial Attacks: Rahul Gandhi Blames BJP Leaders for Spreading Hatred among Youths

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Dec 29: As yet another incident of attack on the migrant workers, this time in Tamil Nadu, surfaced on Monday, the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a blistering attack on the BJP accused the ruling party leaders of feeding the youth with hatred through toxic contents and irresponsible narratives leading to the present situation in the country.

Commenting on the murder in Uttarakhand of a 24-year-old student from Tripura Anjel Chakma following a racial attack, Gandhi said hate was being “normalized” by the “hate-spewing leaders” of the BJP. Anjel Chakma was battling for life at a hospital in Dehra Dun after being attacked by a group of men armed with knives and blunt instruments after he was allegedly called a “Chinese” on December 9. He died on December 26.

Calling the attack on Anjel Chakma and his brother Michael “a horrific hate crime,” Rahul Gandhi posted on social media platform X, “Hate doesn’t appear overnight. For years now it is being fed daily – especially to our youth – through toxic content and irresponsible narratives. And it’s being normalised by the hate-spewing leadership of the ruling BJP.”

“India is built on respect and unity, not fear and abuse. We are a country of love and diversity. We must not become a dead society that looks away while fellow Indians are targeted. We must reflect and confront what we are allowing our country to become,” his post read.

A report from Chennai said the Tamil Nadu Police arrested four teenagers for allegedly assaulting a migrant worker near Chennai. In a video that has gone viral, a group of four boys was seen harassing and attacking a migrant worker inside a suburban train that was on the way to Thiruthani from Chennai. One of the accused later shared the assault video as an Instagram reel, brandishing a machete and using a Tamil song as background music.

The accused were seen striking the victim with machetes near a house. One of the attackers then posed next to the victim with a ‘victory’ sign. The attack left the victim, a resident of Maharashtra, bloodied. He is currently undergoing treatment at the Thiruvallur Government Hospital.

All four accused, aged 17, were later detained. Three of them were then sent to a juvenile home in Chengalpattu, while the fourth accused was released on bail, with the court citing his studies.

Karti Chidambaram, the Member of Parliament from Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga, called on the state police to make the public feel safe. “I reiterate my earlier demand. Time has come for the Tamil Nadu police to prove its mettle. A state-wide “Show of Force” operation is needed immediately. Massive checking of all vehicles plying the roads & identity checks must be done. All history-sheeters must be required to report to the nearest police station thrice a week,” Chidambaram, whose party, Congress, is in alliance with the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, posted on X.

Opposition parties, which have been cornering the Chief Minister MK Stalin government ahead of the assembly elections due next year in Tamil Nadu, said the DMK has failed to control the drug menace in the state.

“DMK’s Dravidian model achievement. When drugs get into the hands of juveniles, this is what happens. Tamil Nadu is the new Amsterdam and narcotic state of India. These boys should not be treated as juveniles; they should be treated as adults,” AIADMK’s Kovai Sathyan said. DMK leader TKS Elangovan called it an “isolated incident.”

The Uttarakhand Police on Monday said they have found no evidence so far that the killing of the Tripura student in Dehradun was racially motivated, underlining that one of the five accused arrested is from Manipur.

PD Bhatt, an investigator, said allegations suggesting that racial slurs were hurled at Chakma before his murder were unfounded at this stage. “We have found no evidence so far to link the incident with racism. There is no basis for such allegations,” he said.

Bhatt said Chakma was attacked near a liquor shop where Suraj, the accused from Manipur, was celebrating his son’s birthday. Anjel and his brother, Michael, also purchased liquor from the shop. “An argument broke out between the two sides, which later escalated, resulting in the death of Chakma,” Bhatt said.

Michael said they were out to buy groceries on December 9 when a group of inebriated people started a fight, used racist slurs, and stabbed Chakma, who was rushed to a hospital, where he died on December 26. Bhatt said that the sixth accused, who is absconding, is from Nepal. “We are searching for him. Our teams are in Nepal. He will be arrested soon,” said Bhatt.

Bhatt said it was unclear who stabbed Chakma. “Those arrested are claiming that the absconding accused stabbed Anjel. It will only be clear after his arrest who actually carried out the stabbing,” Bhatt said. He added that none of the accused has any criminal record and that further investigation was is underway.

Pramod Kumar, a senior police officer of Uttarakhand, said the brothers had got into an argument with some local men and another man from the northeast, who used racial slurs. When the brothers objected, “a fight broke out between them, during which it is reported that they were attacked with knives and other blunt objects,” he added. Michael was allegedly struck on the head, while Anjel was stabbed in the neck and abdomen.

Five people have already been arrested in connection with the incident. Among them, two are minors and have been sent to a juvenile reform home. One of the accused, a Nepal national, has fled home and a reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced for him. A police team has also been sent to Nepal.

The killing of Anjel Chakma has sparked outrage in Tripura. Several student organisations have demanded stringent punishment for those responsible. They have also appealed to the Central Government to take firm steps to address what they described as the persistent problem of racial discrimination against youths from the northeast in different parts of the country.

In Delhi, thousands of students under the banner of Tipra Indigenous Students’ Federation on Sunday organised a candlelight march, seeking justice. BJP Tripura state General Secretary Bipin Debbarma has described Anjel Chakma’s death as “deeply saddening.” “This is deeply saddening for all the people of Tripura… The Tripura Chief Minister has held talks with his Uttarakhand counterpart, and those who are involved in this incident will be brought to justice,” he said.