On July 20, 2026, a shocking news of the unnatural death of Mr. Anurag Dhankar (IPS), Director General of Police, Tripura, in his office, stunned the people of state.  Reportedly, as usual, he reached office that day before 10 a.m. and conducted some official work. Not finding him in his chair for a considerable time, on searching, he was traced hanging with a scarf inside the washroom attached to his office. Immediately, he was brought down and rushed to G.B. Pant Hospital, where the doctors declared him ‘brought dead’. He was in official uniform. After retirement, he was serving in extension period. Some media reports said that he left a suicide note but neither the whereabouts of the note nor its content has become known to the public as yet.

Several grave issues emerge in the quest for the reason behind this suicide. Reports indicate that he had no financial or familial troubles that could have led him to depression and suicide. Thus, the only ground for taking such an absolute step as killing himself might be political pressure mounted on him to serve the interests of certain quarters, compromising his official position, ethics and dignity that he could not bear with.

Not only in the state, but perhaps in the whole country, it is unprecedented that an incumbent head of police administration meets an unnatural death inside his office. Subject to the findings of proper investigation by a trusted agency, it is too early to come to any concrete conclusion on this sad incident. But it would not be wrong to assess such a sad end of a dynamic, honest and esteemed officer in the perspective of recent several desperate attempts of the ruling BJP leaders to compel the officers to render illegal and unethical favor for partisan interest, that seriously hurt the official position, personal dignity, independent functioning of the police and civil administration.

Incidents of Attacks on Police

Some of the following incidents corroborate that in Tripura, instead of the police, law and order is now managed by law-breakers themselves, most of whom belong to ruling BJP and its allies.

On November 21, 2019, while on duty in a naka-point at Boxanagar, smugglers ran over a tribal SI Durga Kumar Hrangkhawl who died on the spot. No investigation, no arrest has been made in this murder of a police officer.

On April 18, 2026, Tafajjal Hussein, BJP MLA from Boxanagar threatened the OC Boxanagar PS over cellphone to negotiate with the accused offenders, otherwise, he would be implicated in malicious case. The audio conversation of both of them became viral in the state. 

On June 2, 2026, while the BDO, Amarpur, was presiding over an important administrative meeting, the BJP Pradhan of Thakchhara GP alongwith some rowdies raided his office and vandalised everything inside in presence of Block officials. No case has been registered on this incident, and naturally, there is no question of arrest of any culprit.

On July 8, 2026, Smt Binki Saha, SDM, Bishalgarh, had urged the SP and DM Sepahijala District, to strengthen the security cover for herself and her office following the threat made by Sri Sushanta Deb, MLA, Bishalgarh Assembly Constituency and his followers to illegally convert a plot of jute land to Khas land.

On the same day, a traffic policeman on duty at Bat-tala, a crowded area of Agartala city, was physically attacked by miscreants known to be followers of ruling BJP.

On July 4, 2026, while Bishalgarh police were transporting a consignment of seized narcotic substances, drug-traffickers hijacked the police vehicle and looted half of the consignment.

Protest by CPI(M)

On July 20, 2026, there was a programme of statewide protest demonstration in solidarity with March to Parliament demanding resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The CPI(M) directed the organisers that these demonstrations will also raise the demand for investigation of the abnormal death of the state DGP under the direct supervision of the acting Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.

In Agartala, on 20th July afternoon, defying a heavy shower, a big protest march on unnatural death of the state DGP was held and the protesters marching along the main roads of the Agartala city, assembled in front the West Agartala PS where Party state Secretary and PBM Jitendra Chowdhury and CCM Manik Dey, addressed the marchers. Jitendra Chowdhury, in his address, firstly condoled the demise of Mr. Anurag Dhankar, expressed sympathy with the grief stricken family members and police personals of all levels.

He said, “We have been saying for more than eight and a half years that, in Tripura under autocratic, repressive BJP rule, security of life and property of the citizens ceased to exist. Every day, civil rights, human rights and constitutional rights are being violated by ruling party leaders and cadres. Almost daily, the dutiful honest police officers are also not spared from the rage of the unruly elements. At last, we lost an honest and responsive head of the police Department.”

Strongly demanding the conduct of investigation under acting Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court, Jitendra Choudhury said that the government may try to hush up this case citing it as mere case of ‘suicide’.  But any conscious citizen will realise that there might be a big scam behind his unnatural death and, an inquiry at a level below High Court supervision, may not reveal anything, Chowdhury said.