The opposition CPI (M) has raised serious questions over the mysterious death of a 24-year-old woman employee of the girls’ hostel at Tripura Santiniketan Medical College, alleging that the incident does not appear to be a case of suicide and demanding an impartial judicial investigation under the supervision of a sitting judge and formation of Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ensure justice to victim family.
Leader of the Opposition and CPI (M) state secretary, Jitendra Chaudhury, along with party leaders Samar Chakraborty and DYFI state secretary Nabarun Deb, visited the victim’s (Manisha Das) residence to meet the bereaved family and gather details about the incident.
Later, addressing a press conference at CPI (M) headquarters in Agartala on Sunday afternoon, Jitendra Chaudhury said the deceased had joined the girls’ hostel of Tripura Santiniketan Medical College nearly two years ago after completing her studies at Bir Bikram Memorial College in Agartala.
According to the family, she was supposed to return home after her duty hours at 5 PM, but the institution allegedly forced employees to continue working beyond scheduled hours and threatened termination if they refused.
The CPI (M) leader claimed that the excessive workload prevented the young woman from attending her brother’s birthday celebration. On the day of the incident, a group of youths reportedly informed the family that she was unwell.
When the family reached the hostel, they were told that the woman had committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan while standing on a chair. However, the family questioned this version, alleging that the fan was much higher than the chair and that the condition of the room raised several suspicions.
“The room contained multiple footprints, and the bed and other items appeared disturbed. Even the fan plate was not bent despite allegedly bearing the victim’s weight,” Chaudhury said, adding that photographs and video clips shown to the family have further deepened their suspicions.
He also alleged that video footage of the incident showed conflicting scenes—one clip depicted the door being forcibly broken open, while another showed a person merely pushing the door before it opened.
The victim’s body was recovered and handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination. Meanwhile, police have reportedly treated the case as a suicide linked to a love affair and arrested a young man, who has been remanded in police custody.
Chaudhury questioned the police’s conclusion, noting that some local residents claimed the arrested youth had arrived at the hostel after receiving information about the incident but was not allowed to enter. He also questioned that how a woman police officer in the rank of Dy SP before findings of autopsy and forensic reports can say before media it’s a suicide case.
The CPI (M) leader further alleged that no representative from Tripura Santiniketan Medical College had visited the victim’s family since the incident occurred.
Referring to Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha’s statement that “no one involved will be spared,” Chaudhury questioned why the police had already concluded that it was a suicide.
He demanded a criminal investigation and asserted that a magisterial inquiry alone would not be sufficient. “A judicial probe conducted by a Judicial Magistrate or under the supervision of a sitting judge is necessary to uncover the truth. The government should also consider providing appropriate assistance to the victim’s family,” he said.
The CPI (M) also accused the state government of attempting to suppress the real facts and criticized the ruling BJP over its handling of the case.
He also congratulated the lawyers of the state to ensure massive victory of “Save Constitution Forum” in the Tripura Bar Association election.