4 Tripura cops suspended in connection with anti-rumour campaigner’s death

Four policemen, including two Tripura State Rifles troopers, have been suspended for reportedly failing to control the violence that led to the killing of an anti-rumour campaigner last month in Sabroom’s Kalacherra of South Tripura district, officials said on Wednesday.

A senior police officer said two Tripura State Rifles personnel, one assistant sub-inspector and one constable were suspended in the last 48 hours. However, no arrest has been made in the case.

“An inquiry is on to know their role on that day as they were deployed along the market area,” inspector general of police (law and order) KV Sreejesh said.

“We have started the process of identifying the persons involved in the incident. Hope, we would crack it soon,” Sreejesh added.

Sukanta Chakraborty, 33, an anti-rumour campaigner hired by the state’s department of information and cultural affairs, was attacked by a group of 25 people on June 28 while he was campaigning in Kalacherra, 130km from Agartala. He was later brought dead at a hospital.

Chakraborty’s family has alleged that the negligence of police administration led to his death.

A garment hawker from Uttar Pradesh was lynched by a mob on the same day at Murabari in Mohanpur sub-division in West Tripura district, 30km from Agartala, over suspicion of being a child-lifter.

A vagabond woman, whose identity remains unknown, was also beaten to death in Bishalgarh in Sepahijala district a day before on similar suspicions.

At least eight people were injured in separate incidents in North Tripura, West Tripura, Sepahijala and other districts allegedly over similar rumours.

Director general of police Akhil Kumar Shukla said that rumour-mongering on social media have caused panic in different parts of Tripura.

The state government subsequently imposed a temporary ban on text messages, other messaging services and mobile internet for 72 hours. The ban was lifted Sunday.

Tripura police and Tripura State Rifles have initiated a series of confidence-building measures, including community engagements, to check escalation of incidents of violence over rumours.