Tripura journalist killing: PCI asks for report from state govt

NEW DELHI: The Press Council of India (PCI) has asked for a report from the Tripura government on the killing of a 48-year-old journalist allegedly by a constable of the Tripura State Rifle (TSR).

Sudip Datta Bhaumik, working with Bengali newspaper 'Syandan Patrika, was gunned down on Tuesday following an altercation with the TSR constable.

The killing comes just two months after a local television journalist was killed in the north eastern state.

On September 20, Santanu Bhowmick was killed at Mandai in West Tripura district when he went to cover an agitation by the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT).

According to a PCI release yesterday, the PCI chairman taking suo-motu cognisance of the issue ordered to immediately seek a report on the matter along with a reply from "the chief secretary, the secretary (Home), Director General of Police, Government of Tripura and Commandant of 2nd battalion of TSR."

Bhaumik was gunned down around 2 pm inside the headquarters of the 2nd battalion of the TSR at R K Nagar, West Tripura superintendent of Police (SP) Abhijit Saptarshi had said.

TSR constable Nandalal Reang, who allegedly shot dead the journalist, was arrested on the Tuesday itself and yesterday the commandant of the 2nd battalion of the TSR, Tapan Debbarma, was also arrested for conspiring to kill the scribe.

Both were sent to police custody for ten days.

Editor of 'Syandan Patrika', Subal Kumar Dey alleged that Datta Bhaumick was killed because he had exposed the many misdeeds and corruption by the commandant Debbarma.