Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar was found dead inside the state police headquarters in Agartala on Monday, in an incident that has sent shockwaves through the state’s police establishment and administration. Preliminary findings suggest it may be a case of suicide, though officials said the exact cause of death will be confirmed only after the post-mortem examination.
Dhankar, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was discovered inside his office premises and was immediately rushed to Govind Ballabh Pant (GB) Hospital. Doctors, however, declared him dead on arrival.
Providing details, hospital official Dr. Pradip Bhowmik said, “He was brought to the hospital around 12 pm. At that time, he had no pulse, no blood pressure and no signs of life. We performed CPR for more than 40 minutes but could not revive him. He was declared dead at 12:48 pm. The post-mortem examination will determine the exact cause of death.”
According to preliminary police information, Dhankar is suspected to have shot himself with his service pistol. However, investigators have cautioned that the circumstances leading to the incident are still being examined, and no official conclusion has yet been reached.
Chief Minister Manik Saha, Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha and other senior government officials rushed to the hospital after news of the incident emerged. Senior police officers, forensic experts and investigators also reached the police headquarters to examine the scene, while an official probe has been launched.
Authorities have not yet issued a formal statement on the cause of death.
Ironically, just a day before his death, Dhankar had addressed the media, asserting that the law and order situation in Tripura remained under control. He had said the state police were functioning professionally and maintaining close coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) to strengthen surveillance along the international border.
Dhankar assumed charge as the Director General of Police in May 2025, succeeding Amitabh Ranjan. Before becoming the state’s police chief, he served as Director General (Intelligence) in Tripura and had earlier enjoyed a distinguished tenure with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), where he handled several high-profile investigations. Widely respected for his professionalism and investigative acumen, he was regarded as one of the state’s most experienced IPS officers.
His sudden and tragic death has left the police fraternity, government officials and colleagues deeply shocked, even as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
