Photo Courtesy: tripuratimes
Agartala: Tripura Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar is dead. The 60-year-old IPS officer was found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber at the state police headquarters in Agartala on Monday morning. He arrived at his office around 10 a.m. and told his orderly to allow no visitors for an hour. When he did not emerge, staff broke the door to find him dead. Forensic experts noted he used a metal wall rod to hang himself, reportedly using a stole. No suicide note was found.
Chief Minister Manik Saha rushed to the headquarters after receiving the news. He arrived alongside Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha. The body remained in place until a forensic team arrived to conduct a professional scene investigation. Dr. Saha later confirmed that a preliminary post-mortem report indicates death by hanging, though the government awaits further forensic findings. "I cannot even imagine that such an incident could happen," the Chief Minister said.
Dhankar, a 1994-batch officer, took charge as the head of the Tripura police force in May 2025. He was recently granted an 11-month extension on his service. His career included high-profile roles with the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Central Industrial Security Force, and a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. He also supervised the Punjab National Bank fraud investigation and led the SIT probing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Acting DGP G.S. Rao, a 1999-batch officer, has assumed interim command of the state police. Rao confirmed that while no Special Investigation Team has been formed, a formal committee will review the circumstances. Opposition parties, including the CPI(M) and Congress, are pushing for an independent inquiry. Meanwhile, officials have yet to locate two mobile phones belonging to the late officer.
State dignitaries, including Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu and Chief Minister Saha, paid floral tributes at the Civil Secretariat on Tuesday. The mortal remains were flown to New Delhi before transport to his native village in Uttar Pradesh. His elder brother, Vivek Dhankar, arrived in Agartala to handle the transfer, while his son traveled from Canada. Last rites are scheduled for Wednesday.
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