Tripura DGP found dead at Police Headquarters; Oppn seeks judicial probe

Agartala

Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the bathroom attached to his chamber at the state Police Headquarters here on Monday, officials said.

The senior IPS officer was rushed to the Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Head of the Department of Medicine at the Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, Dr Pradip Bhowmik, said that Anurag was brought to the hospital without any signs of life and was declared dead after doctors examined all his vital parameters. “We have sent the body of Anurag for post-mortem examination.

The exact cause of death can only be confirmed after the post-mortem report is received,” Dr Bhowmik told the media. The Tripura government and the state Police Headquarters are yet to officially announce the circumstances or cause of Anurag’s death. Chief Minister Manik Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, immediately visited the Police Headquarters after the incident and held discussions with senior police officials. Five senior ministers, led by Agriculture and Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath, visited the hospital and met Anurag’s wife.

Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jitendra Choudhury, and former minister and Tripura Left Front Convener Manik Dey also visited the hospital to offer their condolences and meet the bereaved family. While the ministers refrained from commenting on the cause of Anurag’s death, they expressed profound grief and described him as an upright, honest and highly efficient police officer. Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Choudhury, who is also the CPI (M) Tripura state Secretary and a former minister, demanded a judicial enquiry into the death of DGP Anurag under the supervision of the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court.

Both Choudhury and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said that Anurag was not only a sincere and honest officer but also handled the law and order situation in Tripura with efficiency after taking over as the state’s police chief. Anurag, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Tripura cadre, took charge as the state’s Director General of Police on May 17 last year, succeeding Amitabh Ranjan, a 1988-batch IPS officer. Before assuming charge as the DGP, Anurag served as the Director General of Police (Intelligence), Tripura.

A postgraduate in Food Technology from the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, Anurag also held a Master’s degree in Police Management from Osmania University and a postgraduate diploma in Cyber Crimes from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. He was also a Certified Fraud Examiner from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), USA, and possessed extensive policing experience in Tripura, having served in the state from 1995 to 2003, officials said.

During his tenure in Tripura, he served as Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Longtharai Valley and as Superintendent of Police of the erstwhile undivided West and South Tripura districts. He also held the positions of Superintendent of Police, Special Branch, and Assistant Inspector General of Police (Headquarters). During 2003-04, Anurag served with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. Between 2005 and 2013, he was on central deputation, serving as Joint Director and Additional Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

After returning from central deputation, he served as Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), Tripura, from 2013 to 2016. From 2016 to 2023, the IPS officer was again on central deputation, serving as Inspector General (Research and Correctional Administration) in the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Inspector General (Personnel) in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and later as Joint Director and Additional Director in the CBI. Anurag also served as Chairman of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He has been conferred with the police medal for meritorious service and President’s police medal for distinguished service.

On September 18, 2023, Anurag Dhankar, assumed the charge of Tripura Additional Director General of Police and subsequently posted as Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order). He was promoted and posted as the Director General of Police (Intelligence) with additional charge of Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) with effect from January 2024.