By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The year 2025 was bad for Dehradun. After the monsoon deluge, Dehradun began choking under the impact of worsening air pollution.
In the fag end of the year, the brutal murder of 24-year-old Anjel Chakma, an MBA student from Tripura, came as a rude shock in Dehradun, a city which attracts thousands of students from other states for pursuing higher studies.
Known as school capital of India, Dehradun is also a centre for top higher education institutions like IMA, FRI and universities like Doon and UPES. The nearby hill resort of Mussoorie is globally famous for its top schools and academies like LBSNAA.
According to a police estimate, nearly 2500 students from the northeast alone study in Dehradun with Tripura contributing 200.
A series of candle marches and condolence meetings are being held in Dehradun to condemn the murder of Chakma. He was attacked with a knife on Dec 9 at a Selaquie market in Dehradun following a roadside brawl. After battling with life for nearly 17 days in a hospital, Chakma succumbed to his grievous injuries on Dec 26.
After the murder, the Uttarakhand government is facing a big challenging task to instill confidence among the bewildered students who mostly live alone away from their families. “This is a big concern. We will take all measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents,” SSP Dehradun Ajai Singh said.
But the Chakma murder issue has failed to find political support in Uttarakhand with top opposition leaders maintaining a distance. The main reason is that the murder of Chakma has occurred at a time when the opposition leaders are targeting the BJP government on the Ankita Bhandari murder case demanding a CBI probe.
But the Chakma murder issue has found outpouring of grief among the commoners. Strongly condemning the murder, Sanjeev Chopra, a retired IAS officer and former Director of LBSNAA, called for taking steps to avoid recurrence of such grisly incidents after attending a condolence meeting in Dehradun.
The CM Dhami has said all those involved in the case will not be spared. But more than that the students want a big assurance for a safe environment from all sorts of pollution.
Caption: Students from the Northeast took out a candlelight march in Dehradun on Wednesday to protest the murder of Angel Chakma raising slogans against racial abuse and demanding justice.