Gangtok, Jan 9: An Interim Committee was constituted on January 8 to address concerns related to the safety, justice and rights of students from the Northeast, following the death of Angel Chakma.
The decision was taken at a meeting of Northeast student organisations and associations held at the Nagaland State Guest House in R.K. Puram, New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by D Soziio Mao, president of the Naga Students’ Union Delhi (NSUD), and attended by representatives of 17 student bodies from across the Northeastern region.
A briefing on the formation and objectives of the Interim Committee was presented by Abhilasha Saikia, general secretary of the Northeast Students’ Society, Delhi University (NESSDU). Bipul Chakma, president of the Delhi Chakma Students’ Union (DCSU), shared updates on the January 6 hearing conducted by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), raising serious concerns over alleged lapses by the Uttarakhand Police in handling the case.
During the deliberations, participants identified several key issues to be taken up collectively by the Interim Committee. These include a demand for a CBI enquiry into Angel Chakma’s death, effective implementation of anti-racial discrimination laws, strengthening and expansion of Special Police Units for the North Eastern Region (SPUNER) across states, and inclusion of the history of the Northeast in NCERT textbooks.
The meeting also discussed challenges in the functioning of SPUNER in Delhi, particularly due to limited manpower. Suggestions were made to improve its effectiveness, including collaboration with student organisations from other regions, sustained social media outreach, development of complaint-based mobile applications, and coordinated long-term advocacy.
Following the discussions, the Interim Committee was formally constituted with D Soziio Mao as convenor. Bindash Chettri, president of the Sikkim Students Association Delhi, and Bipul Chakma were appointed co-convenors, while Abhilasha Saikia and Hadungra Narzary, president of the All Bodo Students’ Union Delhi, were named secretaries. The committee will also include one representative from each participating organisation as members.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks by the chair, with student bodies reaffirming their commitment to collectively pursue justice, accountability and stronger institutional safeguards for students from the Northeast.
