The recent death of a young student from Tripura has cast a harsh light on the profound social and political changes reshaping the historic city of Dehradun, challenging its long-cherished identity as a welcoming, cosmopolitan hub.
A City's Lost Cosmopolitan Soul
Decades ago, Dehradun's character was defined by its inclusive spirit. The author recounts a personal memory: when her parents married in the city, a Chinese-Indian shoemaker, a close friend of the family, danced joyfully in the wedding procession. This man, from a settled Chinese family renowned for shoemaking, was a seamless part of the social fabric. Stories from that era, like a Chinese-Indian boy named Kekua uncle watching a film dozens of times and sleeping openly at the Parade Ground, attracted little more than mild curiosity—certainly not hatred or violence.
This past stands in stark contrast to the present. On December 30, 2025, residents gathered at a library on that same Parade Ground for a citizens’ condolence meeting for Anjel Chakma. The 24-year-old student from Tripura died after a brutal attack on December 9. He was out with his younger brother, Michael, when a group of six, including two juveniles, picked a fight. The assailants allegedly hurled racial slurs, calling the brothers "Chinese" and "momo." A city once proud of its diversity found itself witnessing a primitive crime: targeting someone perceived as an outsider.
The Erosion of an Inclusive Identity
Ironically, Dehradun is a city where Anjel Chakma should have felt at home. Its demographic tapestry has long been rich: people from the hills, a large Nepali population, Tibetan refugees who built monasteries, Punjabi settlers post-Partition, a dwindling Anglo-Indian community, and government officials from across India who chose to stay. For years, its government colleges attracted a steady flow of students from the Northeast, with local homes routinely renting to students from Nagaland and Manipur.
Since Uttarakhand's formation in 2000 and Dehradun's elevation as capital, the city has boomed. Private universities have sprung up, drawing students nationwide and from Africa. Yet, this growth has brought a new brashness. Fights between locals and tourists are more frequent. The breakneck development has choked narrow lanes with traffic, erasing old landmarks while creating new opportunities.
Behind the facade of shiny cafes and expressways, however, lies entrenched stereotyping. The recent shrill political labelling of outsiders and constant statements against minorities in Uttarakhand have fostered an environment where lashing out at perceived outsiders has become easier. Prejudice is not new, but its public articulation and acting upon it have been dangerously normalized.
A Pattern of Intolerance and Flickers of Resistance
This incident is not isolated. Earlier in 2025, after a terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmiri students in Uttarakhand were heckled and served video ultimatums to leave, prompting them to flee overnight. In Mussoorie, Kashmiri shawl vendors left following attacks. In 2023, an abduction case in another part of the state was twisted into a "love jihad" narrative, leading to calls for Muslims to leave. In Dehradun, altercations with minorities now routinely spark demands for their exodus.
Yet, there are pushbacks. In October 2025, when a member of an outfit called Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan barged into a Miss Rishikesh pageant rehearsal to lecture girls on their attire, the participants stood their ground. Furthermore, the 2022 murder of receptionist Ankita Bhandari in Rishikesh galvanized people across the state to demand justice, showing collective resolve.
As the new Delhi-Dehradun Expressway prepares to open in 2026, promising economic prosperity, the city faces a critical choice. It can build a road not just for faster travel, but one that leads back to its old-world cosmopolitanism and forward to a truly inclusive modernity. The death of Anjel Chakma is a tragic marker of how far it has strayed from its once-celebrated identity.
