Trinamool Congress legislator from West Bengal Sabyasachi Dutta, in-charge of Tripura, accompanied by state party leaders on Tuesday visits slain journalist Sudip Dutta Bhowmik's home. Photo: Pinaki Das

The West Bengal government on Tuesday offered government jobs, educational help and financial aid to the kin of slain Tripura journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik, who was gunned down by a security personnel last week.

Journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik, 50, was shot by a Tripura State Rifle (TSR) rifleman in Radha Kishore Nagar, 25 kilometres from Agartala, on November  21.

Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s legislator from West Bengal Sabyasachi Dutta, who is the in-charge of Tripura, accompanied by state party leaders on Tuesday visited the home of the slain journalist.

Datta speaking to reporters said, “Mamata Banerjee was supposed to come to Tripura but could not do so as the President of India is visiting West Bengal today and so she has sent me as her representative. This is an irreparable loss but we can do something by offering a government job to his son.”

He however disagreed on the SIT investigation on the ground that it consists of state police and the killer is also from the police.

Datta, who is also the Mayor of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation said, “If you say about the investigation into this case the person who was supposed to provide security is the killer and so I cannot believe on the neutrality of it. In Tripura the protector has turned as predator so we cannot rely on their investigation and it is mere an eyewash.”

Meantime, the West Bengal CM spoke to Bhowmik’s mother over the phone and assured her that the West Bengal government would provide a government job to the deceased’s son Samik, who is now studying engineering in an Odisha institute.

Mamata Banerjee also assured to take the educational responsibility by her government of Bhowmik’s daughter Samridhi who is studying in Class VIII in a Tripura school and provided rupees one lakh financial help to the family.

On the other hand the Tripura Council of Ministers on Tuesday decided to give Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia to Bhowmik’s family.