Tripura DGP Anurag found dead in police HQ

Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the bathroom attached to his chamber at the state Police Headquarters on Monday, officials said.

The senior IPS officer was rushed to the Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Head of the Department of Medicine at the Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, Dr Pradip Bhowmik, said that Anurag was brought to the hospital without any signs of life and was declared dead after doctors examined his vital parameters.

“We have sent the body of Anurag for post-mortem examination. The exact cause of death can only be confirmed after the post-mortem report is received,” Dr Bhowmik told the media.

The Tripura government and the state Police Headquarters are yet to officially announce the circumstances or cause of Anurag's death.

Anurag, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Tripura cadre, took charge as the state's Director General of Police on May 17 last year, succeeding Amitabh Ranjan, a 1988-batch IPS officer. Before assuming charge as the DGP, Anurag served as the Director General of Police (Intelligence), Tripura.

A postgraduate in Food Technology from the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, Anurag also held a Master's degree in Police Management from Osmania University and a postgraduate diploma in Cyber Crimes from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.

He was also a Certified Fraud Examiner from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), USA, and possessed extensive policing experience in Tripura, having served in the state from 1995 to 2003, officials said.

During his tenure in Tripura, he served as Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Longtharai Valley and as Superintendent of Police of the erstwhile undivided West and South Tripura districts.

He also held the positions of Superintendent of Police, Special Branch, and Assistant Inspector General of Police (Headquarters).

During 2003-04, Anurag served with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. Between 2005 and 2013, he was on central deputation, serving as Superintendent of Police and later Deputy Inspector General in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

After returning from central deputation, he served as Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), Tripura, from 2013 to 2016. From 2016 to 2023, the IPS officer was again on central deputation, serving as Inspector General (Research and Correctional Administration) in the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Inspector General (Personnel) in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and later as Joint Director and Additional Director in the CBI.

Anurag also served as Chairman of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.