Guwahati: A 22-year-old postgraduate student from Assam was assaulted late at night inside a central university hostel in Madhya Pradesh, raising concerns over racism against students from the Northeast.
Hirok Jyoti Das, a postgraduate student of Economics at the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, was allegedly attacked inside a boys’ hostel in the early hours of January 13.
According to Das and his friends, a group of fellow students barged into his room around 3–4 am, questioned his identity and place of origin — “Kaha se ho?” — and launched a vicious, unprovoked assault after learning that he was from Assam.
During the attack, Das reportedly heard chilling threats such as, “You’ve come here, you’ll die here.” He sustained serious injuries, including a fractured nasal bone, facial trauma, blood clots in his eyes, and injuries to his lips and temples.
He was first treated locally and later shifted to a hospital in Gaurela Pendra Marwahi district of neighbouring Chhattisgarh due to the severity of his condition.
An FIR has been registered at Anuppur district against five accused students, Anurag Pandey, Jatin Singh, Rajnish Tripathi, Vishal Yadav, and Utkarsh Singh, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including voluntarily causing hurt, obscene acts and words, criminal intimidation, and common intention.
Police said investigations are ongoing to determine whether racial slurs were used and whether alcohol played a role in the incident.
The victim’s medico-legal report is awaited. University authorities, citing CCTV footage and preliminary findings, expelled the accused students following a disciplinary committee meeting and submitted their report to the police.
No arrests have been reported so far.
Das, an NCC cadet from Tezpur, Assam, said he did not know his attackers. “I don’t know them. They abused me and assaulted me physically,” he told police.
The incident has sparked protests and condemnation in Assam and other Northeastern states, with student bodies and civil society groups demanding strict punishment, arrests, and concrete safety mechanisms for students studying outside the region.
The assault follows the December 2025 killing of Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura in Dehradun, who reportedly faced racial abuse before a knife attack.
These incidents indicate that students from the Northeast continue to face discrimination and violence.
Authorities and student bodies are calling for strict action, zero tolerance for racism, and safer campuses for all students.