Opposition Demands Judicial Probe Into Tripura Police Chief's Death

Opposition parties in Tripura, including the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), are demanding a judicial inquiry monitored by a sitting judge of the Tripura High Court into the death of Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar. Anurag Dhankar, a 1994-batch IPS officer, was found dead under mysterious circumstances on July 20 in the washroom of his official chamber at the State Police Headquarters in Agartala.

In response to the death, the Government of Tripura initially formed a three-member probe team. On July 27, the Tripura Police expanded this team to ten members to expedite the case. Led by West Tripura Superintendent of Police Namit Pathak, the expanded team is now required to hold daily briefings and submit weekly progress reports to the Inspector General of Police, Law and Order.

Opposition leaders have dismissed the police-led inquiry as an eyewitness to a cover-up. Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman characterized the death as a case of murder and a deep-rooted conspiracy. On July 27, delegations led by former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury met with Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu to formally request a judicial probe, arguing that the existing police team cannot impartially uncover the truth. Governor Nallu assured the delegations that he would examine their demands.