The Tripura Legislative Assembly was thrown into turmoil on Monday following allegations that the suicide note of DGP Anurag Dhankar directly points fingers at the Chief Minister. Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman was expelled from the Assembly after he pressed the Chief Minister and the Treasury benches over allegations that the suicide note had been concealed. In protest against what the Opposition described as an attempt to suppress democratic voices, opposition MLAs boycotted the first half of the day’s proceedings.

Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury described the mysterious death of DGP Anurag Dhankar as a deep conspiracy against the state’s 40,000 police personnel and said that the Chief Minister should not remain in office even for another second.

Last Thursday, during the concluding part of the first day of the Assembly session, Chief Minister Manik Saha made a suo motu statement on the unnatural death of the DGP. The Opposition alleged that the statement was an attempt by the government to suppress the matter. Opposition members also questioned how the Chief Minister could disclose details of the post-mortem report while the investigation was still underway. In his statement, the Chief Minister said that Anurag Dhankar had died by hanging.

The Opposition further alleged that the Chief Minister made the statement at a time when there was no opportunity left for opposition members to raise questions, following which the House was adjourned. The next day, Friday, Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury raised the matter in the Assembly. He questioned how details of the post-mortem report could have been disclosed in the Chief Minister’s suo motu statement. He also pointed out that the Chief Minister’s statement that Anurag had died by hanging could influence the investigation. However, the Chief Minister remained firm on his statement. The issue triggered repeated confrontations between the government and the Opposition during the second day of the session as well.

When the Assembly met on Monday, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman raised sensational allegations regarding the mysterious death of DGP Anurag. He said that Anurag’s wife had arrived in Agartala on Sunday and had sought information from police officials about her husband’s suicide note. The police allegedly told her that no suicide note had been found.

According to Sudip Roy Barman, Anurag’s wife informed the authorities that her husband had written a note before taking his own life and had sent it to her on her mobile phone. Therefore, she insisted that the note must exist. Yet, the police reportedly maintained that despite thoroughly searching the DGP’s room, they had found no suicide note.

Government members repeatedly interrupted Sudip Roy Barman while he was speaking. He then alleged that the police handed over Anurag’s clothes to his wife on Sunday. A suicide note was subsequently found in the pocket of the clothes. Making a serious allegation against the police, Sudip Roy Barman claimed that the suicide note had been deliberately inserted into Anurag’s uniform pocket and the clothes were then handed over to his wife.

He demanded that the Chief Minister respond to the allegation. The treasury benches immediately reacted angrily. Opposition MLAs then entered the Well of the House, demanding to know why the suicide note had allegedly been concealed. They held placards carrying slogans such as, “Chief Minister must resign taking responsibility for the DGP’s death”, “Why was the DGP’s suicide note concealed?” and “We demand answers.”

Opposition members continued raising slogans in front of the Speaker’s chair. The Speaker assured them that they would be given an opportunity to discuss the issue after the Question Hour. After nearly an hour of Question Hour, Sudip Roy Barman raised the matter again. A heated exchange then broke out between the government and opposition benches.

As the Speaker declined to allow the discussion to continue at that point, opposition members remained in the Well of the House, raising slogans and displaying placards. Despite repeated appeals by the Speaker, they refused to return to their seats.

The Speaker warned Sudip Roy Barman several times, accusing him of obstructing the proceedings of the Assembly. When the situation did not change, the Speaker ordered his expulsion from the House. He was subsequently asked to leave the Assembly chamber on his own. In protest, opposition MLAs also staged a walkout.

Speaking to journalists outside the Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury said that DGP Anurag’s death was the result of a deep conspiracy. He alleged that attempts were being made to shield the entire network allegedly involved in the incident and accused the Chief Minister of remaining silent on the matter.

Chaudhury said that although the Chief Minister had made a suo motu statement in the Assembly three days earlier, he had not uttered a single word about Anurag’s suicide note. He further alleged that the Chief Minister was playing a role in shielding those behind the alleged conspiracy. Under such circumstances, he asserted, the Chief Minister had no right to remain in office even for another second.