22 case files still missing from police headquarters: Tripura Congress MLA

With around six months to go for the crucial assembly poll in BJP-ruled Tripura, the atmosphere in Tripura is getting heated up between the party in power and opposition on various issues.

The latest case being about a bulk of files stolen from the police headquarters but later recovered which the Congress and CPIM demanded investigation, suspecting an attempt to hush up serious crime including corruption charges against some of the ministers and influential leaders.

Two days back a police press release by AIG (L&O), PHQ, Tripura read, "On the intervening night of August 15 and 16, bundles of files kept for weeding, some of them were stolen from an isolated cabin in the Tripura Police headquarters by some miscreants and which according to police were later recovered besides arrest of two involved with the crime."

However, former Minister and lone Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman termed the entire incident as a conspiracy to hush up cases against criminals by putting files under the carpet. 

He demanded a ‘judicial inquiry’ to reveal the facts and added that though police claim to recover all files the fact remains around 22 vital files went missing and shall never be found. 

Roy Barman alleged, “A drama has been set up by breaking a part of the window to show that some files have been stolen but the fact of the matter is that the files were stolen by a section of the police to save some people. We condemn the incident and strongly demand that if they have the courage then should go for an inquiry of the matter by a sitting judge of the High Court. Or it shall prove the truth of our contention that to save the thieves this drama was enacted.”

He added this incident loudly speaks about the existing overall law and order situation in the state under the BJP.

Roy Barman said, “We know the fact that some 22 to 23 files shall never return and those are the files which have secret reports regarding alleged corruption by few top leaders of the state but in connivance, with a section of police those files are being stolen.”

According to the source, the files were of the AIGP Crime office’s legal cell but the police are tight-lipped on the matter.

An FIR was lodged in the West Agartala police station on the following day and reportedly under the leadership of Subrata Chakraborty, Office-in-Charge of the said police station five persons have been arrested in connection to the incident including two burgers and three others from whose possession the stolen file was recovered.

Meantime, Opposition leader and CPIM politburo member Manik Sarkar had also written a letter to Chief Minister Manik Saha, who is also the Home Minister, and viewed that this is the first such incident in the history of Tripura police and urged for an investigation of the entire episode and the truth be revealed by the police.

Meantime, CM Dr. Manik Saha speaking to the media said that he is aware of the entire incident but needs to get more information and take note regarding it.