The Tripura police said on Saturday that it would take a relook at the investigation into the recovery of skeletal remains from the septic tank at the Chief Minister’s official residence here in 2005.
Director-General of Police Akhil Kumar Shukla said they would try to ascertain the actual progress made in the CID investigation.
The 13-year-old issue was raked up by BJP leader Sunil Deodhar in a tweet. “I request @BjpBiplab, new CM of Tripura, to get septic tanks of all minister quarters cleaned before occupying them. it should be recollected that a woman’s skeleton was found in septic tank of Ex CM Manik Sarkar’s quarter on June 4, 2005 but the case was deliberately suppressed.”
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The tweet snowballed into a huge controversy with the ruling BJP accusing the former Left Front government of covering up the case. No CPI(M) leader was ready to speak on the issue, but party sources said the controversy was politically motivated.
No headway
A skull and some bones were found when the septic tank was being cleaned at the official residence of the then Chief Minister, Manik Sarkar, on Marx-Angels Sarani in 2005. The CID failed to make much progress in its probe.
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A retired police officer, initially involved in the probe process, said tests on the remains were conducted at the Central Forensic Laboratory in Chandigarh. “Tests confirmed that the remains were of a girl aged between 13 and 17,” the officer told The Hindu .
On June 18, 2010, replying to a question from an Opposition member, Mr. Sarkar said the CID was of the opinion that the remains were brought from elsewhere and dumped in the septic tank for a ‘vested reason’. He said though experts prepared a sketch of the likely face of the deceased and released it in the media, there was no response.