BJP MLA’s kin among 5 held in Tripura homemaker’s burning case

Agartala: Five people were arrested on Saturday in connection with the burning of homemaker Anjali Sarkar at Mirza in Tripura’s Gomati district two days ago. This follows a warning from CM Manik Saha to law enforcement agencies.

Among those arrested is Anupam (Manna) Mujumdar, the nephew of a ruling MLA from BJP in Kakraban, Udaipur, Gomati district. Initially, police hesitated to take decisive action against these suspects, likely due to their connections with the ruling party, despite cries for help from the victim’s family.

The situation escalated when opposition leaders from Congress and CPM visited the Sarkar family and brought the issue to the chief minister’s attention, resulting in a police officer being suspended and subsequent arrests being made.

In response to the arrests, Congress MLA Sudip Roybarman expressed gratitude to the CM for taking action against those involved. He said crime knows no political boundaries, criticising BJP for harbouring criminals since they came into power in 2018 under former CM Biplab Kumar Deb.

Roybarman called for a custodial trial to serve as a precedent, expressing concerns over another faction within BJP potentially pressuring police to weaken the charges against the suspects, which would allow them to secure bail. “We’re closely monitoring the police’s actions, and if the situation deteriorates, Congress will initiate widespread protests,” he said.

The matter, which emerged on Friday with the discovery of Anjali’s charred remains, has sparked a wave of political activity and scrutiny in the state. The Gomati district police acted promptly to arrest the five suspects on Saturday evening, including Mujumdar.

Gomati superintendent of police Kiran Kumar confirmed the arrests and assured the public that the investigation is ongoing, with all aspects — including previous threats reported by the victim — being thoroughly investigated to ensure justice is served.

Reports indicate that Anjali and her husband, Pankaj Sarkar, had approached the police just prior to her death, claiming that Mujumdar and two accomplices had threatened them at their shop in Mirza market due to prior animosities.

Pankaj has openly accused multiple individuals in his wife’s death, specifically naming Mujumdar along with Kinkar Das, Litan Das, Diptanu Das, and Akash Sarkar, intensifying the demand for a comprehensive investigation.

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