Tripura: CPI (M) renews demand for judicial probe into former DGP’s death

Agartala, July 27 (AHN) The opposition CPI (M) on Monday intensified pressure on the Tripura government over the death of Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag, demanding a judicial probe to ensure a fair, impartial and credible investigation.

Two CPI (M) delegations, one led by Leader of the Opposition and state party Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury and the other by former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, separately met Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu and submitted memoranda seeking a judicial probe under the supervision of a sitting Tripura High Court judge into the death of the state’s police chief.

The Left party’s demand comes just days after the Congress also sought a judicial inquiry into the incident and urged the Tripura High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the DGP’s death, alleging that the case could involve foul play rather than suicide.

Addressing reporters after meeting the Governor, LoP Chaudhury described the July 20 death of the state’s police head inside his office chamber as “unexpected, unnatural and unbelievable” and questioned whether the investigating team, headed by the Superintendent of Police of West Tripura district, could independently uncover the truth.

“We have no objection to the investigating team continuing its investigation. However, in the prevailing environment, it will be difficult for the existing police team alone to bring out the truth. That is why we have requested the Governor to impress upon the state government that the investigation should be conducted under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Tripura High Court,” Chaudhury said.

Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar alleged that there appeared to be attempts to avoid a comprehensive investigation into the incident, saying the people of Tripura were demanding answers regarding the “absolutely unnatural” death of the DGP.

Sarkar argued that with Tripura now having its own High Court, there did not impede entrusting the inquiry to a committee under the supervision of a sitting judge, unlike in the past, when such inquiries required the involvement of the Gauhati High Court.

“This is not merely the CPI (M)’s demand. It reflects the aspirations of the people of Tripura, who want a fair, transparent and impartial investigation into the death of the DGP,” said Sarkar, who was Chief Minister for 20 years (1998 to 2018).

According to Sarkar, the Governor acknowledged that such an unprecedented incident involving the state’s police chief warranted serious examination and raised important questions relating to governance, policing and public confidence.

The CPI (M) leaders urged the Governor to intervene and ensure that a high-level committee is reconstituted or made to function under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Tripura High Court so that all facts emerge transparently and appropriate action can be taken based on the findings.

Sarkar, a former CPI (M) politburo member, said the Governor patiently heard the delegation’s submissions and assured them that he would examine the memorandum. The CPI (M), he added, would decide its future course of action after receiving the Governor’s response to its demand for judicial supervision of the investigation.

The body of Anurag, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Tripura cadre, was found under mysterious circumstances in the washroom attached to his official chamber at the state police headquarters here on July 20.

On July 24, the acting Director General of Police constituted a three-member team, led by West Tripura district’s Superintendent of Police Namit Pathak, to probe the “mysterious” death.

“Now SP Pathak has reconstituted the team with ten members under his leadership. Besides Additional Superintendent of Police, Urban, West Tripura, Dhruba Nath, the Officers-in-Charge of Cyber Crime Police Station, Amtali Police Station, West Agartala Women Police Station, and the Battala and Ramnagar Outposts are the other members of the investigation team. An Inspector of KTD Singh Police Training Academy and the previous Investigating Officer, Subhojit Deb, are also the members of the reconstituted investigation team,” an official order said.

The opposition Congress, CPI-M, CPI and several other political parties since July 20 have also been demanding a judicial inquiry, monitored by a sitting judge of the Tripura High Court, to determine the circumstances and reasons behind the death of the state’s senior-most IPS officer. The Left parties and the Congress had earlier organised separate protest rallies in Tripura, pressing for a High Court-monitored judicial investigation into the incident.

Anurag took charge as Tripura’s DGP on May 17, 2025. Before assuming office as the state’s police chief, he served as the Tripura Director General of Police (Intelligence).

During his distinguished career, Anurag also served with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. He held several key assignments in central agencies, including as Joint Director and Additional Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), besides serving in the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The senior IPS officer also led the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. His tenure as Tripura Director General of Police was scheduled to continue until May 17, 2027.