Agartala, Oct 17: In a tragic turn of events, five police officials have been suspended and arrested in South Tripura following the death of a 34-year-old youth, Badal Tripura, who allegedly died due to police torture after being released on bail.
Badal, a resident of Kaladepa village in Sabroom, South Tripura, was caught along with other red-handed stealing rubber sheets but being brought to the police station no written complaint was lodged against them. However, on October 13 on charges of creating a nuisance after consuming alcohol they were arrested and release the following day on bail but died at his residence shortly after his release from hospital.
Ashok Sinha, Superintendent of Police (SP) for South Tripura, confirmed that the five officials, including a Sub-Inspector, Premjit Ray, and a constable, Rajkumar Tripura, stationed at Manubazar police station, have been taken into custody following a complaint from the victim’s family. The officials were initially been suspended, and departmental proceedings were initiated against two.
The SP further stated that the investigation into the alleged custodial torture is ongoing, with CCTV footage being examined.
Notably, the victim’s body bore multiple black marks, and injuries were visible around one eye, though it remains unclear whether these were inflicted during his arrest for stealing rubber sheets or while in police custody.
Badal Tripura and another tribal youth, Chiranjit Tripura, had been detained on October 13 but were not officially charged with theft. The police arrested them later that day for causing a disturbance after consuming alcohol. Badal was released on bail the following day but complained of feeling unwell.
He was admitted to a local hospital, then transferred to Shantir Bazar hospital, but was released and passed away at home later that night.
Following his death, a complaint was lodged with the police on October 16, accusing the officers of torturing Badal during custody. The incident has sparked widespread protests, with irate locals, including women, staging a demonstration in front of Manubazar police station, demanding justice for the alleged custodial torture. Protesters also blocked the Agartala-Sabroom national highway, bringing traffic to a halt.
Family members of the deceased and locals had demanded punishment for the police personnel responsible for Badal’s death and compensation.
A post-mortem examination was conducted in the presence of an executive magistrate to ascertain the exact cause of death.
Meanwhile, additional security forces have been deployed in the area to control the unrest, and senior police officials have visited the affected region.
Reportedly, this is the third such incident of police custodial torture death in the past two and a half months, with similar cases reported in R.K. Pur and Nutan Bazar police station.
