Tripura Declares State Mourning After Police Chief Found Dead

Tripura Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar was found dead on Monday, July 20, 2026, in the bathroom of his official chamber at the state Police Headquarters in Agartala. Chief Minister Manik Saha stated that Dhankar was found hanging, although medical officials at the Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital declared him brought dead. A magisterial probe has been ordered while officials await post-mortem results to confirm the exact cause of death.

Opposition leaders, including CPI (M) state Secretary Jitendra Choudhury and Congress member Sudip Roy Barman, have called for a judicial inquiry supervised by the Tripura High Court to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the 1994-batch IPS officer.

In response to the loss, the Tripura State Cabinet declared a one-day state mourning for Tuesday. Cabinet members observed a two-minute silence and issued a condolence resolution describing Dhankar as a dedicated and visionary leader. His career included stints with the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Police Research and Development, the Central Industrial Security Force, and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. To mark the mourning, the national flag will fly at half-mast on all government buildings and official entertainment programs have been canceled statewide.