Tripura Opposition storms Assembly well over DGP death probe, seeks SIT or HC judge inquiry

The principal Opposition CPI(M) on Friday, August 28, staged a protest inside the well of the Tripura Legislative Assembly after Speaker Rampada Jamatia disallowed the party from raising the issue of the death of Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar.

The Opposition demanded an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dhankar’s death, either by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or a sitting judge of the Tripura High Court.

Soon after the Speaker began reading the congratulatory motion, Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury raised the issue and referred to the suo motu statement made by Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha in the Assembly on Thursday.

“Yesterday, finally, the Chief Minister spoke about the DGP’s death and gave a suo motu statement. We were hoping that, in the history of India, such a serious matter involving a person holding the post of DGP would be addressed with complete transparency,” Chaudhury said.

He said that if the government genuinely wanted to ascertain the truth, it should constitute an SIT or entrust the investigation to a sitting judge of the High Court.

However, Speaker Rampada Jamatia said that under Rule 361, members could not initiate a discussion on matters relating to the suo motu statement and that the House had to function within the prescribed rules.

After the microphones were switched off and the Opposition was prevented from continuing the discussion, CPI(M) legislators left their seats and entered the well of the House, raising slogans and staging a protest.

Later, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha defended the government’s decision to disclose details related to the investigation, saying that the statement was made in the interest of the people and to ensure transparency.

The Chief Minister said that, according to the available report, the death appeared to be suicidal in nature. He also referred to the constitutional privileges enjoyed by legislators under Article 194, stating that members of the Assembly have certain privileges while performing their legislative functions.

Dr. Saha said details of the post-mortem examination could be disclosed as the post-mortem report forms part of the evidence collected during a police investigation.

“Keeping the interest of the people and transparency in mind, I have informed everyone about the matter,” he said.

He further explained that the government could place relevant documents, including a post-mortem report, before the Assembly when appropriate, as such documents form part of the ongoing police investigation.

The Chief Minister also maintained that in high-profile cases, the Chief Minister or Home Minister often make statements in the Assembly regarding developments in an investigation, including findings that can legally be disclosed at that stage.

The Opposition, however, continued to insist that the circumstances surrounding the DGP’s death should be examined independently and reiterated its demand for a probe either by an SIT or by a sitting judge of the Tripura High Court.