GUWAHATI: Tripura Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar was found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber at the Police Headquarters in Agartala on Monday, Chief Minister Manik Saha said.
Expressing grief over the incident, Saha said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the senior IPS officer's death.
"Upon receiving the information, I, along with the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary, immediately visited the Police Headquarters. He was promptly shifted to Agartala Government Medical College & Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, where the attending doctors, after examination, declared him brought dead," the chief minister said in a post on social media.
Dr Pradip Bhowmik, Head of the Department of Medicine at Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, said Dhankar was brought to the hospital at around noon in a critical condition.
"We could not detect a pulse or blood pressure. We immediately began administering CPR. A team of expert doctors did everything possible, but when he could not be revived, we declared him dead at 12:48 pm," Bhowmik told reporters.
Tripura BJP president Abhishek Debroy said the circumstances surrounding the incident would become clear after an investigation.
"The administration is not compromised and it will not be compromised. Truth will come out. An investigation will reveal what happened and why it happened," he said.
Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury of the CPI(M) questioned the circumstances of Dhankar's death, saying an officer who had handled numerous challenging situations could not have taken his own life. He demanded a judicial inquiry headed by the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court.
Former chief minister Manik Sarkar also paid tribute to Dhankar, describing him as one of the finest police officers to have served under the previous Left Front government.
"He was dutiful, honest, transparent and brave. He played important roles in tackling any kind of situations," Sarkar said.
A 1994-batch IPS officer of the Tripura cadre, Dhankar took charge as the state's Director General of Police in May last year. During his career, he held several key positions in the Tripura Police, served on deputation with the Central Bureau of Investigation, and was part of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo during 2003-04.
A postgraduate in Food Technology from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, Dhankar was awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service and the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need support, call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (24x7) or Call, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline - 02225521111, (Monday-Saturday- 8 am-10 pm)