SIT seizes Tripura journalist Sudip’s phone from commandant’s residence

Bhowmik’s family in Agartala on Wednesday. (Express Photo/Abhisek Saha)

The SIT has recovered the mobile phone of Sudip Datta Bhowmik, a senior reporter of Syandan Patrika who was shot allegedly by a constable of the 2nd Tripura State Rifles (TSR), from the residence of the commandant of the battalion at R K Nagar.

Half-burnt copies of three issues of the newspaper, and two pens that belonged to Bhowmik, were also recovered on Tuesday by police under a tree inside the 2nd TSR battalion compound at R K Nagar, 20 km from Agartala. An AK-47 rifle with which Bhowmik was allegedly shot was also seized.

According to Subal Kumar Dey, editor of 48-year old Bengali daily Syandan Patrika, Bhowmik had written a lengthy piece giving details about an alleged extramarital affair of the Commandant, Tapan Debbarma, and this could be one of many probable reasons behind his killing. The SIT constituted for this case is also looking at another angle — whether Bhowmik was carrying a spy-cam with him while meeting Debbarma in his office on Tuesday, apart from recording on his mobile phone the conversation he had with the officer, Dey said. “Why Debbarma snatched Bhowmik’s mobile phone needs to be investigated in detail,” he added.

Also Read: Tripura commandant held, editor says reporter killed for exposing his corruption

The editor told The Indian Express that Bhowmik had not directly named the Commandant, a 1998-batch Tripura Police Service officer, but it was clear that the story was about him.

“On September 20, we carried a report by Bhowmik which was only short of naming him, which gave enough details about the commandant’s extramarital affair.

But then, while that story was about his private life, Bhowmik had earlier written several stories about serious financial irregularities in the 2nd TSR Battalion, which must have irked him,” Dey said.

On Wednesday, Tripura Police DIG Arindam Nath too had pointed to the September 20 story allegedly about Debbarma, indicating that it could be one provocation leading to the murder of the journalist.

“I am not in a position to immediately provide copies of the reports Bhowmik had written about financial irregularities committed by the commandant, but I am sure there were anomalies of about Rs 10 crore,” the editor said.

The newspaper on Thursday carried a profile of Debbarma — currently in police custody after he was arrested on Wednesday — alleging that he was arrested while he was a student and had spent a few months in prison. Debbarma, according to the newspaper, first joined the State Bank of India as a cashier, before getting selected as a Deputy SP in 1998.

Dey said he would approach the High Court on Monday seeking a direction for a CBI inquiry.

“We are not agreeable to an SIT inquiry because the prime accused is a senior police officer. Only a CBI inquiry can bring out the truth,” he said.

The SIT was announced on Wednesday. However, as many as 11 organisations representing journalists, editors and owners rejected it later in the day.