Tripura DGP Anurag Dhankar found dead at Police HQ; CM, Oppn demand probe
Synopsis
The sudden, unexplained death of Tripura's top cop inside his own office has sent shockwaves through the state. With the cause of death pending a post-mortem and both Congress and CPI(M) demanding a High Court-supervised judicial probe, the pressure on the Manik Saha government to ensure a credible, independent investigation is now acute.
Key Takeaways
Tripura DGP Anurag Dhankar was found dead in the bathroom of his official chamber at the state Police Headquarters, Agartala , on 20 July .
Doctors at AGMC & GBP Hospital declared him 'brought dead'; the cause of death is officially unconfirmed pending a post-mortem report .
Chief Minister Manik Saha visited the Police HQ and expressed shock, describing the death as 'tragic' in a post on X.
Both Congress and CPI(M) have demanded a judicial inquiry supervised by a sitting judge or the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court .
Dhankar was a 1994-batch IPS officer who took charge as DGP on 17 May last year; he was decorated with the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service .
He previously chaired the SIT on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and served with the UN Mission in Kosovo and the CBI .
Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar, a decorated 1994-batch IPS officer, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the bathroom attached to his official chamber at the state Police Headquarters in Agartala on Monday, 20 July. He was rushed to the Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital (AGMC & GBP Hospital), where doctors declared him brought dead.
What Doctors Said
Dr Pradip Bhowmik, Head of the Department of Medicine at AGMC & GBP Hospital, confirmed that Dhankar was brought in without any signs of life and was declared dead after all vital parameters were examined. 'We have sent the body of Anurag for post-mortem examination. The exact cause of death can only be confirmed after the post-mortem report is received,' Dr Bhowmik told reporters. The cause of death thus remains officially unconfirmed pending the autopsy.
Chief Minister Visits HQ, Expresses Shock
Chief Minister Manik Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, immediately visited the Police Headquarters accompanied by Chief Secretary Jitendra Kumar Sinha and Home Secretary Abhishek Singh, and held discussions with senior police officials. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Saha wrote: 'I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic demise of Anurag, IPS, Director General of Police, Tripura, who was found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber today.' He added that Dhankar was promptly shifted to AGMC & GBP Hospital, where doctors declared him 'brought dead', and extended condolences to the bereaved family.
Five senior ministers, led by Agriculture and Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath, also visited the hospital and met Dhankar's wife to convey their condolences. The ministers refrained from commenting on the cause of death but described him as 'an upright, honest and highly efficient police officer.'
Opposition Demands Judicial Inquiry
Both the Indian National Congress (Congress) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] have separately demanded a judicial inquiry into the death. Sudip Roy Barman, former minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, told reporters that only a judicial probe monitored by a sitting judge of the Tripura High Court would help uncover the actual circumstances behind the death of the state's senior-most IPS officer.
Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Choudhury, who is also the CPI(M) Tripura state Secretary, demanded a judicial enquiry under the supervision of the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court. Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Tripura Left Front Convener Manik Dey also visited the hospital to offer condolences. Both Sarkar and Choudhury described Dhankar as a sincere and efficient officer who had handled law and order in Tripura with competence since taking charge as police chief.
A Distinguished Career Spanning Three Decades
Dhankar took charge as DGP of Tripura on 17 May last year, succeeding Amitabh Ranjan, a 1988-batch IPS officer. Before that, he served as Director General of Police (Intelligence), Tripura. An academically accomplished officer, he held a postgraduate degree in Food Technology from the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, a Master's degree in Police Management from Osmania University, and a postgraduate diploma in Cyber Crimes from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. He was also a Certified Fraud Examiner from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), USA.
Dhankar served with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo in 2003-04 and spent significant stints on central deputation with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). He also chaired the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He was a recipient of both the Police Medal for Meritorious Service and the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
What Happens Next
The post-mortem report is awaited and is expected to be the central document in determining the cause of death. With the opposition formally demanding a High Court-supervised judicial inquiry and the circumstances remaining unclear, pressure on the state government to order an independent probe is likely to mount in the coming days.
Point of View
The investigating machinery he once commanded cannot credibly investigate itself. Chief Minister Saha's dual role as Home Minister makes the call for judicial oversight structurally sound, not just oppositional. How quickly and transparently the post-mortem findings are made public will be the first test of the government's accountability in this case.
NationPress
21 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Tripura DGP Anurag Dhankar die?
Anurag Dhankar was found dead in the bathroom of his official chamber at the Tripura Police Headquarters in Agartala on 20 July. The exact cause of death has not been officially confirmed and is awaited pending a post-mortem examination.
What did Chief Minister Manik Saha say about the DGP's death?
Chief Minister Manik Saha said he was 'deeply shocked and saddened' by the death, noting in a post on X that Dhankar was found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber. Saha, accompanied by the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary, visited the Police Headquarters immediately after the incident.
Why are the Congress and CPI(M) demanding a judicial probe?
Both parties argue that the mysterious circumstances of a sitting DGP's death inside a secure government facility warrant independent scrutiny. They contend that only a judicial inquiry monitored by a sitting judge or the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court can credibly determine the actual cause and circumstances of the death.
Who was Anurag Dhankar and what was his background?
Anurag Dhankar was a 1994-batch IPS officer of the Tripura cadre who took charge as the state's Director General of Police on 17 May last year. He had a distinguished career spanning the CBI, BPR&D, CISF, and the UN Mission in Kosovo, and chaired the SIT on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He held the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
What happens next in the Tripura DGP death case?
The post-mortem report is the immediate next step and will be critical in establishing the cause of death. With opposition parties formally demanding a High Court-supervised judicial inquiry, pressure on the state government to order an independent probe is expected to intensify once the autopsy findings are released.
