Скачать или смотреть Denying the racial motive only normalises it

The Uttarakhand Police claim the Angel Chakma’s killing was not racist violence. They say the remarks heard on the day weren’t meant as racial slurs aimed at Angel, that they were exchanged “in jest” by people sitting together and were misunderstood, and that there’s no evidence so far linking the killing to racial motivation.

But the official stance, that there’s no proof of racial intent, doesn’t erase the fact that racial slurs were alleged by Angel’s brother or the wider context of discrimination faced by people from the Northeast. Whether it fits the legal definition of a hate crime depends on how motive is interpreted in court, not just what the police say initially.

But calling this anything other than racist violence is a disservice to a man who lost his life. Angel was murdered. Reducing the racial context dilutes the gravity of the crime and erases the lived reality of people from the Northeast who routinely face hostility and stereotyping.

This case doesn’t just expose deep-rooted racism in our society, it also exposes institutional failure. The Uttarakhand Police took days to act, make arrests, and moved only after sustained public pressure and outrage. It speaks volumes.