The media fraternity in Tripura became desperate against the left front government seeking CBI probe following murder of two journalists in two months – one in the presence of police and another in the chamber of a commandant of Tripura State Rifles. As many as 12 professional bodies of journalists of the state have launched a common platform – Forum for Protection of Journalists (FPJ) to press for the demand of CBI probe into the murder of journalists Sudip Datta Bhowmik and Shantanu Bhowmik, to pass separate bill for the protection of journalists from violence.

Tripura government has however, constituted SITs for both the incidents rejecting the demand of CBI. After murder of Shantanu Bhowmik on September 20 in presence of police at Mandai, left front government constituted first SIT, led by IGP (armed force) G S Rao. It could not make any breakthrough except the arrest of four tribal youths claimed to be innocent and drug addicts. But in case of Sudip Datta Bhowmik who was gunned down at TSR 2nd battalion headquarter at R K Nagar of Agartala on 21 November, the government constituted SIT under DIG (southern range) Arindam Nath where IGP (armed force) Rao is accused of being a conspirator in the case. While producing Nayak shubedar Amit Debbarma and Rifleman Dharmendra Singh of the same battalion in the court, police claimed that Nandalal Reang, personal guard (PG) of Commandant confessed that the plot of murder was created on 19 November by Commandant Tapan Debbarma and both of them had discussion at the residence of the commandant. “Nandalal opened fire from his  following instruction of the Commandant in the parade ground inside the campus where Amit and Dharmendra had played a big role in the execution as per the order given by Tapan Debbarma,” police informed the court when argued for their remand. According to the investigating team, so far the information revealed by the accused, Tapan Debbarma had a professional relation with Sudip Datta Bhowmik for a long time. But recently he had made some news reports in Syandan Patrika including the financial corruption in the battalion and various immoral activities of Tapan Debbarma. Sudip recently got access to information of extra marital affairs of Tapan with a doctor posted in South Tripura.