Tripura State Rifles Commandant arrested in journalist murder case

AGARTALA: Tapan Debbarma, a commandant of second Tripura State Rifles, was arrested on Tuesday night in connection with the murder of journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik in Tripura. He will be produced in court on Wednesday.

The 48-year-old journalist was shot dead around 2 pm on Tuesday inside the headquarters of the 2nd battalion of TSR at RK Nagar allegedly by a constable of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) following an altercation. He was taken to G B Hospital in Agartala where the doctors declared him brought dead.

The editor of the 'Syandan Patrika', Subal Dey alleged that Bhaumik was killed by Tapan Debbarma as he had written a series of articles on corrupt practices of the officer.

"It was Debbarma who called Bhaumik to the battalion headquarters...Bhaumik's mobile phone is missing, but all other belongings such as money bag and pen were recovered," Dey claimed. He had called for the immediate arrest and suspension of the commandant.

TSR Second Battalion Rifleman Nandu Kumar Reang was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the case. According to police, Reang opened fire from his AK-47 assault rifle, killing Bhowmik on the spot. Reang is the bodyguard of Debbarma. 

Meanwhile, Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy will submit a report to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the murder.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiran Rijiju has also strongly condemned the killing of the journalist. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, condemning the killing, has asked the Director General of Police to probe the incident.

Bhowmik, who was a reporter with "Syandan Patrika" and television channel "Vanguard", is survived by his wife, a government teacher, and two children.

To protest the killing, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress called a 12-hour and 24-hour statewide shutdown on Thursday respectively.

This is the second killing of a mediaperson in Tripura in two months. Earlier on September 20, television journalist Santanu Bhowmik was killed allegedly by some activists of a party in Mandai.