DA Editorial Desk|Sara Debbarma
Tripura’s young people are among the most mobile in the country. They travel to Delhi, Bengaluru and other cities to study, work and build careers, because opportunities at home are limited. This week brought two reminders of how much they risk. Political parties and leaders have condemned the alleged racial abuse of a Tripura youth in Delhi and demanded action, according to IANS. A Tipra Motha MLA, Paul Dangshu, has also asked for swift action. And in Bengaluru, the deaths of three Tripura youths remain unexplained, with their families asking for help to bring the bodies home.
We must be careful here. The details of both cases are still limited in the reports available, and no one should rush to conclusions about what happened to the three young men or to assign blame before investigators have done their work. But the reaction in Tripura shows how raw this subject is. Many families still remember the death of a Tripura student in Dehradun in December 2025 after an alleged racial attack, which drew an NHRC notice to local officials and a statement from Union Minister Kiren Rijiju that racism is a “disease”. Police in that case said there was no proof so far of racial abuse, and the dispute itself showed how painful it is when families feel unheard.
The pull of the outside is easy to understand. Tripura has a small private sector, and many families see a job or a degree outside the state as the surest route to stability. Skills and savings flow back, and the state benefits. That bargain only works if young people can count on basic safety and dignity far from home.
There is also a role for the Centre. Discrimination against people from the Northeast has been raised repeatedly in Parliament and in courts, and the legal tools exist. What is often missing is quick registration of complaints and sensitised front-line police. We would ask the Ministry of Home Affairs to remind state forces of their duties, and the Northeast’s own student bodies and associations to keep a register of cases so that patterns, if any, can be seen and acted upon.
Three things should happen. First, the Tripura government should set up a dedicated helpline and a nodal officer, perhaps through Tripura Bhavan in Delhi and an equivalent office in Bengaluru, to help families of young people in trouble, including with the cost and paperwork of bringing a body home. Second, the state should press the Delhi and Karnataka police for prompt, transparent investigations and ask for regular updates to families. Third, authorities in every city should treat complaints of racial abuse seriously and register them without delay, under laws that already exist.
Tripura’s leaders must also speak with one voice. Condemnation from all parties is welcome, but it should translate into practical help, not a round of statements. Colleges and employers can do their part by running awareness programmes for students arriving from the Northeast. And families deserve answers, not silence.