Photo Courtesy: tripuratimes
Agartala: Tripura police expanded their Special Investigation Team from three to ten members to speed up the probe into the death of Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar. He was found dead in the washroom of his official chamber at the Agartala headquarters on July 20. The 1994-batch IPS officer had only assumed his post on May 17, 2025.
West Tripura Superintendent of Police Namit Pathak leads the expanded team. The roster now includes Additional SP Dhruba Nath, Additional SP Souvik De, Deputy SP Benjam Dewan, and several inspectors and station officers including Rana Chatterjee, Bhaskar Saha, Shiuli Das, Subhojit Deb, Subendu Das, and Chinmoy Bhowmik. Investigators face pressure to deliver results.
Mandatory morning briefings and evening review meetings are now standard practice. The team must submit daily progress reports on evidence and technical analysis to the Superintendent of Police. A consolidated report goes to the Inspector General of Police for Law and Order every Saturday. Officials demand total confidentiality.
Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman is pushing for a probe led by a sitting Tripura High Court judge. He insists the case needs scrutiny beyond local police. "Describing the incident as a matter of national concern rather than a political issue, Roy Barman alleged that the circumstances were highly suspicious and urged the state government to ensure complete transparency in the investigation." The CPI, CPI(M), and other opposition groups have joined these calls for a judicial inquiry.
Dhankar previously served with the CBI, BPR&D, and CISF. He also led a Ministry of Home Affairs team investigating the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. His son, Abhishek, performed the final rites on July 22 in Baraut, Uttar Pradesh. The state officer was set to lead until May 2027.
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