Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday informed the state Assembly that the death of Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar was “suicidal in nature”, citing the findings of the post-mortem report. The statement came during a heated discussion after Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury sought an independent investigation into the IPS officer’s death.

Chaudhury, a CPI(M) leader, demanded that the case be investigated by a sitting judge of the High Court. The issue led to a disruption in the Assembly after CPI(M) legislators entered the well of the House and raised slogans when Speaker Rampada Jamatia attempted to stop the Opposition leader from raising the matter.

Saha later intervened and offered to make a statement on the case. He told the House that the post-mortem report had indicated that the death was suicidal in nature and that the report had been included as evidence in the investigation. He also maintained that an impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death was underway.

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Dhankar, a 1994-batch IPS officer of the Tripura cadre, was found dead at his office at the police headquarters on July 20. Following the incident, the state government constituted a high-level committee headed by West Tripura district Superintendent of Police Namit Pathak to conduct an in-depth investigation into the unnatural death.

Senior Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman questioned the disclosure of the post-mortem findings in the Assembly, arguing that such material formed an important part of the ongoing investigation. Saha rejected the objection and maintained that the Chief Minister or a minister could make a suo motu statement in the Assembly regarding a high-profile investigation.

The Chief Minister also defended the government’s decision to discuss the matter in the House, describing it as an effort towards transparency. The demand for a judicial inquiry, however, has added political pressure on the state government as the committee continues its investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dhankar’s death.

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