CBI books three IPFT leaders for journalist killing in Tripura

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked three Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) leaders and is also looking into the roles of around 200 more activists of the group in the killing of journalist Santanu Bhowmik.

Last month, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb announced to transfer two cases to journalist killings to the CBI for a fair probe. The first case is of Bhowmik, who worked for a local television channel, and was killed when he went to cover a road blockade in Mandwai area of West Tripura district on September 21 last year. The second case is of Sudip Dutta Bhowmik, a crime reporter with a vernacular newspaper, who was killed inside the headquarters of the Tripura State Rifles' (TSR) 2nd battalion at RK Nagar in the same district on November 20 last year.

The CBI has booked Balram Deb Barma, Dhirendra Deb Barma — both leaders of the IPFT — and Amit Deb Barma, the president of the Mandwi divisional committee of the party, along with 200 unidentified members, in connection with Bhowmik case.

In case of Dutta Bhowmik, who was a crime reporter for a popular Bengali daily, the CBI is probing the role of Nandu Reang, who was a soldier with Tripura State Rifles. Reang has been arrested. Dutta Bhowmik was killed inside the headquarters of 2nd battalion of TSR at RK Nagar, around 30 km from state capital Agartala. It is alleged that he got involved in an argument with Reang while following a lead and as the exchange grew heated, the soldier pulled out his service revolver and shot him dead.