Tripura DGP found dead in office, suicide suspected; Opposition demands judicial probe

Anurag Dhankar, the 1994-batch IPS officer, was declared dead after doctors attempted resuscitation. Doctors said the cause of death will be determined after a post-mortem examination.

Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar was found dead inside his office at the state police headquarters in Agartala on Monday, in what officials suspected to be a case of suicide. He was 60 years old.

Taking to social media after the incident, Chief Minister Manik Saha said the 1994-batch IPS officer was “found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber”.

“I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic demise of Anurag, IPS, Director General of Police, Tripura, who was found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber today. Upon receiving the information, I, along with the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary, immediately visited the police headquarters. He was promptly shifted to AGMC & GBP (Agartala Government Medical College & Govind Ballabh Pant) Hospital, where the attending doctors, after examination, declared him ‘brought dead’,” the Chief Minister said.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family during this hour of profound grief. May the departed soul rest in peace, and may the family find strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss,” he added.

The head of the department of General Medicine at AGMC & GBP Hospital, Dr Pradip Bhowmik, said that when the DGP was brought to the facility at noon, he had no pulse, blood pressure or respiratory response.

“We still tried to resuscitate him with CPR. When no sign of life was seen despite all our efforts, we declared him dead at 12.48 pm,” the doctor said, adding that details about his cause of death would only become clear after a postmortem examination.

Tripura State Forensic Science Laboratory Director Dr H K Pratihari said Anurag Dhankar’s death appeared to be a case of suicide, but added that no conclusions would be drawn until the postmortem report comes.

Dhankar had taken over as the state police chief in May last year. Before that, he served as DGP (Intelligence), Additional DGP, and IGP (Law and Order). He had also served in the CBI and the Border Security Force (BSF) on central deputation. Moreover, he had also been part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in 2003-2004.

He had been part of several high-profile investigations, including the Punjab National Bank fraud case involving diamantaire Nirav Modi.

He was a recipient of the President’s Police Medal for distinguished service.

At the time of his death, the 60-year-old was just over a month into an 11-month service extension after his original period of service ended in June.

On Monday evening, the CPI(M) staged a protest in front of the West Agartala Police Station, demanding a judicial inquiry into the DGP’s death headed by the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.

CPI(M) state secretary and Opposition leader Jitendra Choudhury, who was at the protest, also demanded that Dhankar’s body be preserved until his son, who lives in Canada, is able to arrive home.

Earlier, Choudhury and former chief minister Manik Sarkar had visited the AGMC & GBP Hospital and interacted with Dhankar’s family and officials.

“His death is a reflection of the unnatural condition and political pressure prevailing in Tripura for the last eight-and-a-half years (since the BJP came to power). DGP Anurag Dhankar was an exceptional officer, and he had handled a variety of high-pressure jobs in his career. There is no reason he would take his own life or commit suicide. We want to know what really happened,” Choudhury said after the hospital visit.

Former CM Sarkar described Dhankar as a “capable, exceptional, honest” officer, who “had worked his way up from the position of a Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) to DGP”.

“We tried to talk with his family and doctors inside the hospital. It appeared that some officers there were unhappy to see us and were practically trying to shoo us away. We can’t say what happened, but the truth needs to come out,” Sarkar said.

Tripura BJP president Abhishek Debroy expressed his condolences and said the administration would investigate the incident to arrive at the truth.

He criticised the CPI(M), accusing the Opposition party of politicising the incident. “They can play politics with everything, even such a sad incident. It is a reflection of their sick mindset,” he said.

State Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma, Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath also reached the hospital to convey their condolences to the family.

The General Administration (Political) Department said in a notification that the government has declared one day of state mourning on Tuesday.

The state Cabinet, after a meeting held on Monday evening, issued a statement, saying the Council of Ministers “expressed profound grief over the untimely demise of the Director General of Police” and that they observed a two-minute silence in his memory during the Cabinet meeting.

Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar was found dead inside his office at the state police headquarters in Agartala on Monday, in what officials suspected to be a case of suicide. He was 60 years old.

Taking to social media after the incident, Chief Minister Manik Saha said the 1994-batch IPS officer was “found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber”.

“I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic demise of Anurag, IPS, Director General of Police, Tripura, who was found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber today. Upon receiving the information, I, along with the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary, immediately visited the police headquarters. He was promptly shifted to AGMC & GBP (Agartala Government Medical College & Govind Ballabh Pant) Hospital, where the attending doctors, after examination, declared him ‘brought dead’,” the Chief Minister said.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family during this hour of profound grief. May the departed soul rest in peace, and may the family find strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss,” he added.

The head of the department of General Medicine at AGMC & GBP Hospital, Dr Pradip Bhowmik, said that when the DGP was brought to the facility at noon, he had no pulse, blood pressure or respiratory response.

“We still tried to resuscitate him with CPR. When no sign of life was seen despite all our efforts, we declared him dead at 12.48 pm,” the doctor said, adding that details about his cause of death would only become clear after a postmortem examination.

Tripura State Forensic Science Laboratory Director Dr H K Pratihari said Anurag Dhankar’s death appeared to be a case of suicide, but added that no conclusions would be drawn until the postmortem report comes.

Dhankar had taken over as the state police chief in May last year. Before that, he served as DGP (Intelligence), Additional DGP, and IGP (Law and Order). He had also served in the CBI and the Border Security Force (BSF) on central deputation. Moreover, he had also been part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in 2003-2004.

He had been part of several high-profile investigations, including the Punjab National Bank fraud case involving diamantaire Nirav Modi.

He was a recipient of the President’s Police Medal for distinguished service.

At the time of his death, the 60-year-old was just over a month into an 11-month service extension after his original period of service ended in June.

On Monday evening, the CPI(M) staged a protest in front of the West Agartala Police Station, demanding a judicial inquiry into the DGP’s death headed by the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.

CPI(M) state secretary and Opposition leader Jitendra Choudhury, who was at the protest, also demanded that Dhankar’s body be preserved until his son, who lives in Canada, is able to arrive home.

Earlier, Choudhury and former chief minister Manik Sarkar had visited the AGMC & GBP Hospital and interacted with Dhankar’s family and officials.

“His death is a reflection of the unnatural condition and political pressure prevailing in Tripura for the last eight-and-a-half years (since the BJP came to power). DGP Anurag Dhankar was an exceptional officer, and he had handled a variety of high-pressure jobs in his career. There is no reason he would take his own life or commit suicide. We want to know what really happened,” Choudhury said after the hospital visit.

Former CM Sarkar described Dhankar as a “capable, exceptional, honest” officer, who “had worked his way up from the position of a Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) to DGP”.

“We tried to talk with his family and doctors inside the hospital. It appeared that some officers there were unhappy to see us and were practically trying to shoo us away. We can’t say what happened, but the truth needs to come out,” Sarkar said.

Tripura BJP president Abhishek Debroy expressed his condolences and said the administration would investigate the incident to arrive at the truth.

He criticised the CPI(M), accusing the Opposition party of politicising the incident. “They can play politics with everything, even such a sad incident. It is a reflection of their sick mindset,” he said.

State Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma, Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath also reached the hospital to convey their condolences to the family.

The General Administration (Political) Department said in a notification that the government has declared one day of state mourning on Tuesday.

The state Cabinet, after a meeting held on Monday evening, issued a statement, saying the Council of Ministers “expressed profound grief over the untimely demise of the Director General of Police” and that they observed a two-minute silence in his memory during the Cabinet meeting.