Battalion commander, jawan arrested over scribe’s murder

Guwahati:   The arrested commander of the 2^nd Tripura State Rifles (TSR) Battalion, Tapan Debbarma and rifleman Nandu Reang who are accused in the murder of journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik in the premises of the battalion headquarter near Agartala on Tuesday, were remanded to 10 days’ police custody by an Agartala court today.

Meanwhile, the BJP has demanded resignation of Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar over deteriorating law and order situation in the Left Front-ruled state even as the saffron party called for a 12-hour Tripura bandh tomorrow in protest against the murder of journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik by a man in uniform inside the premises of the 2^nd Tripura State Rifles (TSR) battalion head quarter.

The state government has, meanwhile, ordered a CID inquiry into the shocking incident of alleged murder of the journalist by a man in uniform.

The murder of the scribe has sparked sharp protests from the fraternity as well as public all over the Northeast today even as journalists in Tripura staged demonstration in front of chief minister Manik Sarkar’s residence demanding exemplary punishment to the culprits. The journalists in Agartala took out a protest march with the body of the slain journalist.

The Tripura Police have claimed that the investigation was being carried out as per the laid down procedure to find out what exactly happened inside the premises of the 2^nd TSR Battalion headquarter and to bring the culprits to the book.

The State BJP president Biplab Deb today accused that Left Front of government of letting loose a reign of terror in the state through the state police force which simply doesn’t care. “Nobody is safe Tripura today, the situation is that bad,” he said demanding a statement from the state government on the dastardly murder of the journalist within two months of killing of another young journalist, Santanu Bhowmik, in the state on September 20 last.

Meanwhile, the ruling CPI-M has also condemned the killing of the journalist and demanded a thorough probe into the incident to bring all the guilty persons to the book.