Another security official held in Tripura journalists’ murder probe

Sudip Datta Bhowmik was shot dead inside the office of Commandant Tapan Debbarman, while Santanu Bhowmik was lynched to death while covering a road blockade agitation near Agartala

November 14, 2019 04:15 am | Updated 04:15 am IST - Agartala

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested a security official in connection with its probe into the murder of two journalists in separate incidents in 2017.

Swarupananda Biswas, Assistant Commandant in the 2nd battalion of paramilitary Tripura State Rifles (TSR), is the second senior officer arrested after former battalion Commandant Tapan Debbarma, for their alleged involvement in the killing of journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik.

Sudip Datta Bhowmik, a reporter with Bengali daily Syandan, was shot dead inside the office of Commandant Tapan Debbarman at R.K. Nagar, near Agartala, when the former went to a paramilitary campus to on a professional assignment. The other journalist Santanu Bhowmik, who was working for a local television channel was lynched to death while covering a road blockade agitation at Mandwai, 25 kms east of Agartala.

After it assumed office in March 2018, the BJP-led coalition government in the State handed both the investigations to the CBI. Journalists’ organisations had been continuously holding street protests to press for probe by the central agency.

The police and the CBI had made several arrests in connection with the murders but almost all the accused were released on bail.

The CBI recently intensified its investigation after Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb spoke to Home Minister Amit Shah.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.