Slain Tripura journalist exposed corruption in Tripura Police unit

Slain Tripura journalist Sudip Dutta Bhowmik is said to have written on corruption and irregularities in the 2^nd battalion of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and its commandant Tapan Debbarma recently. Bhowmik, a reporter of language daily Syandan Patrika, was shot dead by a TSR jawan on Tuesday. The jawan was arrested on Tuesday itself and commandant Debbarma was arrested this morning.

Syandan Patrika editor Subal Kumar Dey told The Hindu Bhowmik’s killing was an act of vengeance by TSR officials as the journalist had recently exposed financial irregularities in the battalion. The Tripura State Rifles of the Tripura Police is a state unit raised on the lines of the Central Reserve Police Force.

Bhowmik was cremated on Wednesday and is the second journalist to be killed in Tripura in the last two months. TV journalist Santanu Bhowmik, no relation to Sudip Datta Bhowmik, was killed in an attack during a tribal group’s protest in September this year.

Sudipta Datta Bhowmik was shot dead by TSR rifleman Nandagopal Reang at 1130 am when he went to interview Debbarma. He was declared brought dead at GB Hospital, Agartala around 2 pm.

A great level of speculation and secrecy surrounds the firing. Tripura Police DIG (Northern Range) Arindam Nath said the journalist was interviewing Debbarma when the latter excused himself to the toilet. Upon his return, Debbarma accused the journalist of lifting an envelope from his table. Nath said Bhowmik declined the allegation and a body search was ordered on his person. When the journalist resisted, Nath stated, he was subsequently shot dead by rifleman Nandagopal Reang with his service AK-47 rifle. But journalists are not convinced of this version.

“We are astonished. The issue was discussed at our meeting. All members of the cabinet are astonished about how he was killed in such a high secure facility,” Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Bhanulal Saha told Newslaundry.

Superintendent of Police (West Tripura) district Abhijit Saptarshi said that Bhowmik was shot twice by the TSR jawan and both bullets found their target.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said, “I am stunned at the way journalist Sudip Dutta Bhowmik was shot dead by personal guard of TSR 2^nd battalion commandant.”

Journalists led by Subal Kumar Dey, Arun Nath, Sebak Bhattacharya and others visited the TSR camp at RK Nagar under Bodhjungnagar police station, around 15 Km from Agartala. They had a different version. “There was absolutely no sign of blood or scuffle at the camp’s parade ground, where the journalist was found dead. Instead, the commandant’s room was squeaky clean after a heavy wash and an unexplained cordon tape all around it,” Arun Nath, the editor of English daily Tripura Observer, said.

Nath added that bits and pieces of burnt issues of Syandan Patrika were found in a small gorge near the commandant’s office. “It is a deliberate attack on journalists. We visited the TSR camp. DIG of Tripura Police Arindam Nath joined us. It was evident that the journalist’s body was dragged all the way from the commandant’s office to parade ground, nearly 600 metres away,” Dey said.

Sebak Bhattacharya, Editor of News Vanguard, said that Bhowmik was an ace crime reporter. “He kept on hunting for news. For all we know, he was killed on duty. It is a very unfortunate and unacceptable incident,” Bhattacharya said.

Pranab Sarkar, journalist and Tripura Journalists’ Union general secretary, condemned the murder and said Bhowmik was invited to the TSR battalion headquarters and killed in cold blood. “It is the most shameful incident in the history of Indian journalism. News items of corruption were published against the TSR official. To combat news, he chose to get the journalist killed,” he said.

Sarkar asked where was the purloined envelope that supposedly led to the altercation to begin with. Two mobile phones that belonged to Bhowmik were also missing. He used to record interviews on one of them, his colleagues said.

Journalists pointed out that it was nearly impossible for one to die of bullet injuries in the abdomen unless they bled profusely. “There is no blood stain at the site where the body was recovered. It is all a cover-up,” senior journalist Arun Nath said.

Governor Tathagata Roy warned the perpetrators that he would see to the very end of the incident. “It is very, very unfortunate that a journalist was killed inside a government security facility from a government-sanctioned firearm. It is even serious than the death of journalist Shantanu Bhowmik two months back,” the Governor told reporters on Tuesday.

The CPI(M), the BJP, the Congress and other political parties condemned the murder. The BJP demanded a CBI inquiry into the issue. The Congress sought time-bound investigation and speedy results to bring culprits to the book.

The CPI(M), on its part, criticised Governor Roy for his statement and said that he was stepping beyond his rights. “An elected government is in power in Tripura. We demand that proper investigation be done to bring all individuals involved with the murder of the journalist to justice,” party spokesperson Goutam Das said.

BJP state president Biplab Deb condemned the incident and said that the second journalist murder within two months showed total loss of general law and order situation in the state.

“We demand CBI enquiry into the incident”, Deb said. BJP had earlier demanded CBI probe into murder of television journalist Shantanu Bhowmik, who was killed on September 20 at Khumulwng, 25 km from Agartala city.