The investigation into the death of Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag has been intensified, with the state police expanding the special inquiry team from three to ten members to expedite the high-profile probe into the senior IPS officer’s death.
Anurag, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Tripura cadre, was found dead under unexplained circumstances in the washroom attached to his official chamber at the state police headquarters in Agartala on July 20.
According to a senior police official, the acting Director General of Police had initially constituted a three-member investigation team on July 24 under the leadership of West Tripura Superintendent of Police Namit Pathak. The team has now been expanded to ten members to strengthen the investigation.
The reconstituted team includes Additional Superintendent of Police (Urban), West Tripura, Dhruba Nath; the officers-in-charge of the Cyber Crime Police Station, Amtali Police Station, West Agartala Women Police Station, and the Battala and Ramnagar police outposts. An Inspector from the KTD Singh Police Training Academy and the previous investigating officer, Subhojit Deb, are also part of the team.
An official order stated that the enlarged investigation team will function in a coordinated manner while ensuring confidentiality, professionalism and impartiality throughout the inquiry. The order mandates daily morning briefing meetings to review progress, allocate responsibilities and formulate investigative strategies, followed by evening debriefing sessions to assess the day’s work, identify gaps and plan subsequent action.
Investigators assigned specific responsibilities have been directed to complete their tasks promptly while maintaining close coordination with other team members. The order also requires all officers to submit daily progress reports to the Superintendent of Police, West Tripura, detailing evidence collected, technical analysis conducted and proposed next steps. A consolidated weekly report will be submitted every Saturday to the Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) for review.
Meanwhile, demands for a judicial inquiry into the DGP’s death have intensified. Congress Working Committee member and former Tripura minister Sudip Roy Barman reiterated the party’s demand for an inquiry monitored by a sitting judge of the Tripura High Court. Describing the incident as a matter of national concern rather than a political issue, he said the death of the state’s senior-most police officer warranted an independent and transparent investigation.
Roy Barman alleged that the circumstances surrounding the death were highly suspicious and claimed it was a case of murder. He said the people of Tripura, along with police personnel and government officials, deserved to know the truth and warned that any attempt to suppress the matter would raise serious questions about the state government.
The CPI(M), CPI and several other opposition parties have also called for a High Court-monitored judicial inquiry. Both the Left parties and the Congress have organised separate protest rallies in Tripura demanding an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the DGP’s death.
Anurag was cremated with full state honours at his ancestral town of Baraut in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district on July 22. His son, Abhishek, performed the last rites in the presence of family members, senior police officers and hundreds of mourners.
He assumed charge as Tripura’s Director General of Police on May 17, 2025, succeeding Amitabh Ranjan. Before becoming the state’s police chief, he served as Director General of Police (Intelligence) and held several important assignments during his career, including service with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). He also headed the Special Investigation Team constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. His tenure as Tripura DGP was scheduled to continue until May 17, 2027.
