Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe murders of two journalists, Santanu Bhowmik and Sudip Datta Bhowmik, who were killed last year in Tripura.
Santanu was hacked to death covering a tribal agitation at Mandwai, 25kms east of Agartala, on September 20 last year, Sudip was shot dead at a battalion headquarters of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) near Agartala on November 21, 2017. He was working for a vernacular daily Syandan Patrika and was also contributing to local television channel News Vanguard .
Erstwhile CPI(M) led left front government constituted separate Special Investigation Team (SIT) in both incidents which led to arrest of several suspects. The Forum for Protection of Journalists, Tripura (FPJT) - a joint platform of nine media organisations - has long been demanding CBI probe and rejected SIT claiming the latter did not book real perpetrators.
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Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb in a hastily convened press briefing on Friday night shared information about decision about the latest development. According to notifications of the Ministry of Personnel, CBI will probe all aspects including ‘attempts, abetments and conspiracies’.
BJP in its Assembly Election pledge had assured CBI probe in the murders of the journalists if voted to power. Incumbent BJP –IPFT government in its first Cabinet meeting adopted resolution to handover the cases to the central agency.