Shantanu Bhowmik, a young journalist of Tripura, was hacked to death on September 20, allegedly by supporters of the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura’s (IPFT) NC Debbarma faction.

The IPFT champions the cause of a separate state for the indigenous people of Tripura. The party is led by those who had formerly wanted to secede from India. The CPI(M) claims that the IPFT is hand in glove with the BJP against the communists in the next assembly election due in February 2018. The tribal party suffered a major split a few months ago when its chief Debbarma was accused of usurping Rs 2 lakh given by the BJP.

On Wednesday, clashes had broken out between the Gana Mukti Parishad (GMP), the tribal front of the CPI(M), and the IPFT at Mandai, 23 km away from Agartala, the state capital, for a second consecutive day.  Among the many journalists who had rushed to cover the clashes, TV journalist Shantanu Bhowmik, barely 27, was trying to get some exclusive footage for his channel. A group of IPFT men surrounded him and stabbed him, at least three times in his neck and back with sharp weapons, leaving him in a pool of blood.

Shantanu Bhowmik worked in three TV channels, two of which were owned by non-Left individuals and group. He started working with Khabor 365 Din three years ago, before moving to PB 24, a local cable TV channel. He was working with DinRaat, another local TV channel when he died. Colleagues remember him as a brave youth, who would often take on challenging assignments far away from Agartala on his motorcycle.

Aside from his journalism, Shantanu had started Manabik English Medium School for the humbler families in his locality in association with a club. Thousands thronged his residence at Jirania and joined his cremation.

Speaking about the slain journalist, a channel production head Tanmoy Chakraborty said, “He was a younger brother to me, my most trusted journalist.” Shantanu started working under Chakraborty. Recounting days with him, Chakraborty said, “He never backed out from anything. You give him any job and you can consider it done. Shantanu had a true zeal for work and loved to take challenges. His work can’t be measured with money.”

Since she saw her dead son, Shantanu’s mother Papri Nag Bhowmik (52) has been in shock and declined to speak until Shantanu was cremated this afternoon. Speaking to Newslaundry, Papri said, “I want justice. My son is dead. Nothing can bring him back. But they can make sure none of this happens again.” In college, Shantanu used to be an SFI activist and graduated from a government college in Agartala. His family, therefore, was pretty close to the CPI(M).

This is not the first instance where political parties have targeted a journalist. Arun Deb, who was engaged with the CPI(M) mouthpiece Daily Desher Katha, was killed way back in 1990. Barely months ago, IPFT had held a protest against journalist Saikat Talapatra for writing against a naked protest organised by the tribal party. Talapatra, luckily, didn’t reach out to cover the protest for himself.

While covering a lathi-charge on Congress supporters near IGM Hospital in 2008, journalists had came under attack. The same happened while covering student clashes at Maharaja Bir Bikram College in 2009. In 2011, when clashes between police and Congress supporters ended in the death of an innocent boy, media personnel stood up to cover the incident amid shooting between the two parties. Bhowmik would perhaps still be alive had the state government taken steps to check growing intolerance for free speech and allergy for media.

One hundred and thirty people were injured on Tuesday when the GMP-IPFT fight broke out. The IPFT organised a large gathering of supporters near Mandai market the very next day. The plans were clear, it was to be payback time to the communists.

Eight CPI(M) offices in the vicinity were ransacked, some set ablaze. It was during attempts to torch the party’s local committee office when the separatists were forced to track back, well, not for long.

Shortly afterward, IPFT boys came back in larger numbers. The police intervened and dispersed the mob with tear gas and lathi charge. On their way back, they met Shantanu Bhowmik shooting the clashes between IPFT and GMP with his cameraperson.

They cordoned him off with dao, takkal and other sharp weapons and started interrogating him about his writing against the demand for Tipraland. They accused him of being anti-tribal and hacked him to death.

His cameraperson, who saw the tension rising between his colleague and the IPFT men, fled to the local police station to get help. By the time, police reached the spot, Shantanu was lying in a pool of blood gushing from his neck. He was taken to GB Hospital in Agartala but died in the midst of treatment, hospital sources said.

Shantanu was the lone breadwinner in a family of three, including his mother and younger sister. The latter was sent to study Agricultural Science at Gangtok barely a few months ago. His parents had separated a few years back. This happens to be the first time a journalist was actually killed on duty in Tripura, ever.

Later on Thursday, four boys were arrested from Mandwi. They were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Agartala. Judge Sharmistha Mukherjee sent them to 14 days jail custody.

The police declined to divulge details of the detainees. Court sources said Shyamal Debbarma from Gharia Sardar Para and Bikash Debbarma from NEC Colony of Mandwi were arrested along with two others. All four are said to be IPFT supporters.

Reacting to the incident, IPFT general secretary Mewar Kumar Jamatia said that the incident was most unfortunate. “I vehemently condemn such an incident. Our journalist friends have every right to cover events and incidents,” he said. The youth tribal leader added his party would immediately start a hunt to identify the individuals involved in the crime and hand them over to the police. The IPFT leader didn’t decline his party workers’ hand in the murder. Instead, Jamatia speculated that the CPI(M) or the BJP might have placed their mole in the IPFT to demean it in public.

Later this evening, the CPI(M) demanded the arrest of all those involved in the murder of journalist Shantanu Bhowmik. The party condemned IPFT for having been involved in the crime and demanded proper security arrangement from the police and other law enforcement agencies.

Condemnations and condolences kept pouring in. The Bharatiya Janata Party accused the state government of failing to maintain law and order in the state. Condemning the murder of the scribe, the party said Chief Minister Manik Sarkar should resign keeping in view the rampant incidents of crime and violence.

The Tripura Pradesh Congress in a statement condoled the demise of the journalist and demanded immediate arrest of the criminals. Congress legislative party leader Gopal Chandra Roy demanded a proper inquiry with a sitting high court judge.

The Agartala Press Club condemned the killing of Shantanu Bhowmik and condoled the bereaving family members. The Tripura Working Journalists’ Association condemned the murder and sought immediate action from the police. The journalists’ association said unless action followed soon, they would launch a widespread agitation across the state. They, however, didn’t come forward with financial help for the slain journalist’s family.

Meanwhile, at least 200 journalists and photo-journalists in Tripura thronged the CM’s official residence on Wednesday evening demanding immediate arrest of all those involved in the murder and demanding an audience with Sarkar. The CM was, however, nowhere to be seen.

Two hours after the agitation started, DGP Akhil Kumar Shukla came out with the assurance that culprits involved in the murder would be arrested by tomorrow morning before his cremation.

Later in the night, some journalists called on CM Sarkar and demanded assurance of arrest of the killers within the next 24 hours, proper CBI inquiry, Rs 50 lakh compensation for the bereaved family and guarantee of safety and security of journalists.

The CM assured he would take all necessary steps to arrest the killers and agreed to the compensation but declined to accept any deadline.

Meanwhile, senior journalists met Governor Tathagata Roy at the Raj Bhavan seeking his intervention on the issue. The governor asked the journalists to submit a formal memorandum. He assured that all initiatives would be taken within the gubernatorial authority to ensure that justice was delivered.

A late night order from the Home Department said that the government was imposing a temporary ban on all telecom services barring voice calls for 24 hours starting 10:30 pm on Wednesday.

“There are apprehensions of using messaging systems and social media platforms for transmission of images, videos, and text that have the potential to inflame passion and exacerbate law and order situation,” a top police official said.