LoP Jitendra Chaudhury Demands Answers After Alleged Denial of Access to Late Tripura DGP's Body at GB Hospital
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, July 20, 2026
The death of Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar took a political turn on Monday after Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury alleged that he and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar were not allowed to pay their last respects to the deceased officer at GB Pant Hospital.
According to Chaudhury, after Dhankar's body was brought to the hospital, he and Manik Sarkar visited GB Pant Hospital to offer their condolences and pay their respects. However, they were allegedly prevented by West Tripura District Magistrate Dr Vishal Kumar, IPS from going near the body.
Expressing his strong displeasure, Chaudhury claimed that the denial of access itself raised serious questions about the circumstances surrounding the DGP's death. He alleged that the incident suggested the death was "not a normal one" and called for the facts surrounding the case to be brought before the public.
The Leader of the Opposition demanded a high-level, impartial investigation into the death of the state's top police officer, saying that only an independent probe could establish the truth behind the incident and dispel public doubts.
No official statement has yet been issued by the state government or the police authorities regarding the allegation that opposition leaders were denied access to the body. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Anurag Dhankar's death is currently underway, and authorities have not yet announced any findings regarding the cause of death.
Notably, Anurag Dhankar was a 1994-batch IPS officer of the Tripura cadre and assumed charge as the Director General of Police in May 2025. Before becoming the state's police chief, he served as DGP (Intelligence). During his distinguished career spanning over three decades, he held several important positions in Tripura Police and also served on central deputation with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Border Security Force (BSF). He was also part of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, gaining valuable international policing experience.
The post-mortem examination and the ongoing investigation are expected to provide further clarity into the circumstances surrounding the death of the state's top police officer.
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