The Supreme Court has been approached through a public interest litigation seeking urgent judicial intervention to address racially motivated violence, following the death of a 24 year old MBA student from Tripura who was allegedly attacked in Dehradun over his north-eastern appearance. The plea urges the Court to step in where the law currently treats racial violence as ordinary crime, raising concerns over constitutional protections and citizen safety.
The petition, filed by Advocate on Record Anoop Prakash Awasthi, stems from the alleged assault on Anjel Chakma in Selaqui, Dehradun, where he and his brother were reportedly subjected to racial slurs while shopping and later violently attacked when they objected. Chakma suffered grievous neck and spinal injuries and succumbed after nearly two weeks in intensive care.
Citing this incident as part of a wider pattern, the plea argues that north-eastern citizens across India routinely face racial abuse, violence, and demands to “prove” their nationality, while existing criminal law fails to recognise bias-driven offences or provide specialised reporting, investigation, or victim-protection mechanisms.
While the Supreme Court is yet to pass orders, the plea presses for interim, binding guidelines on the lines of Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, seeking recognition of “racial slur” as a punishable hate crime, mandatory recording of bias motive at the FIR stage, and creation of nodal agencies and special police units.
The petition asserts that treating racially motivated violence as ordinary crime “erases motive, dilutes constitutional gravity, and perpetuates impunity,” and highlights the victim’s assertion during the incident, “We are not Chinese… We are Indians. What certificate should we show to prove that?”
The matter places before the Court the question of whether constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 demand a distinct legal response to racial violence.
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