Tripura: Dharmanagar court sends three to judicial custody in delivery worker suicide case

The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Dharmanagar has sent three accused, including two women, to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the suicide of a delivery worker Prasenjit Sarkar, a case that has triggered widespread public anger across Tripura.

The court order followed the production of the accused on December 18 after their arrest in Sribhumi district of Assam. Sarkar allegedly died by suicide on December 14 after being humiliated and physically assaulted during a dispute over a parcel, an incident that later circulated widely on social media.

Confirming the development, the Additional Public Prosecutor said an FIR was registered on December 14 after Dharmanagar Police took cognisance of the incident in North Tripura.

“Tripura Police produced all three accused before the CJM court after their arrest in Sribhumi, Assam. The court rejected their bail plea and sent them to judicial custody until December 30, directing the police to interrogate them during this period,” he said.

The accused have been identified as Sangeeta Bhattacharya, Sushmita Bhattacharya and Saurabh Bhattacharya, with police describing Saurabh as the main accused. After the court proceedings, all three were taken to Churaibari Police Station for further investigation.

North Tripura Superintendent of Police Avinash Rai said the arrests were made following a secret tip-off and termed the operation a key breakthrough in the case.

“This is a significant achievement. We have arrested the three individuals named in the FIR—Sangeeta Bhattacharya, Sushmita Bhattacharya, and Saurabh Bhattacharya—from Sribhumi, Assam. They have been produced before the court, and the investigation is ongoing,” Rai said. He also cautioned against attempts to interfere with the probe, adding, “While we respect public movements seeking justice, any attempt to misguide the process or obstruct police work only hampers the investigation.”

Sarkar’s body was found hanging in the Kameshwar area of Dharmanagar. Police and eyewitness accounts suggest he faced sustained mental and physical harassment by customers over a parcel delivery, which is believed to have driven him to take the extreme step.

Following his death, police registered a case against five individuals. While three have now been arrested, two accused remain absconding. The incident has sparked protests across Tripura, with demonstrators demanding strict punishment for all those involved.

Protesters have said arrests alone are not enough, calling for full justice, compensation and government support for Sarkar’s family. As the sole breadwinner, his death has left the family in acute financial distress, intensifying demands for accountability and systemic protection for frontline delivery workers.