Photo Courtesy: tripuratimes
Agartala: Tripura Director General of Police Anurag died on July 20. Officers found him hanging in his official chamber washroom. The investigation remains active. A 10-member team handles the probe now.
Advocate Sankar Lodh claims the current facts do not support abetment to suicide charges. Legal standards require proof of instigation and a guilty mind, known as mens rea. The deceased officer's family filed no complaints yet. No FIR exists for abetment. Lodh explained the law clearly. "A simple suicide can never be treated as abetment to suicide. To invoke such a charge, there has to be suicide, and there must also be mens rea. The accused must have prior knowledge that his acts would lead to the victim committing suicide, and there has to be instigation," he said.
The investigation started under a sub-inspector. Senior leadership took over quickly. This includes the West Tripura Superintendent of Police and an Additional Superintendent of Police. Authorities currently treat the matter as an unnatural death case.
Lodh pointed to two recent state cases involving a Dharmanagar delivery worker and a BJP Yuva Morcha leader. The Tripura High Court granted bail in those matters after finding the ingredients for abetment missing. He suggests waiting for the final police report. Opposition parties, including the CPI(M) and Congress, want a probe by a sitting High Court judge. Lodh remains skeptical of premature interference. He believes the police report must reach the magistrate first. Officials insist the current inquiry follows all legal protocols.
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