Agartala: Tripura Police has expanded the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar by inducting seven additional officers, increasing the strength of the panel from three to 10 members. The move comes amid growing pressure from opposition parties seeking a judicial inquiry into the incident.
An order issued by the office of the Director General of Police stated that Superintendent of Police (West Tripura) Namit Pathak will continue to lead the SIT, which was initially formed on July 24 after an unnatural death case was registered at West Agartala Police Station following Dhankar’s death on July 20.
The reconstituted SIT now includes Additional Superintendent of Police Dhruba Nath, Sub-Inspector Subhojit Deb, who is serving as the investigating officer, officials from the Cyber Crime Unit, personnel from Amtali, West Agartala Women, Battala and Ramnagar police stations, as well as an instructor from the KTD Singh Police Training Academy.
According to the order, the SIT has been tasked with conducting a thorough investigation into every aspect of the case while ensuring complete confidentiality. The team has also been instructed to submit periodic progress reports, including weekly updates, to the Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), who will forward them to the DGP.
Dhankar, a 1994-batch IPS officer, was found dead in the washroom attached to his office chamber at the state police headquarters in Agartala on July 20. Following the incident, police registered an unnatural death case and constituted the SIT to examine the circumstances surrounding his death.
The decision to expand the investigation team comes as opposition parties continue to intensify their demand for an independent judicial probe. The CPI(M) has submitted a memorandum to Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu seeking an inquiry headed by a High Court judge. The Congress has also questioned the ongoing police investigation and reiterated its call for a judicial inquiry.
So far, the Tripura government has not announced any judicial investigation and has maintained that the case is being examined by the SIT constituted by the state police.