india

Updated: May 21, 2019 13:58 IST

Six personnel of the Tripura State Rifles’ 12th Battalion, including its commandant, have been suspended for their alleged involvement in assaulting a colleague over a duty-related dispute, officials said on Tuesday.

Naib subedar Bipul Ranjan Dey, havildars Kamal Paul and Raju Dhar, (H), and naiks Maheswar Das and Satyabrata Sinha were accused of assaulting rifleman Bhojveer Singh Chauhan on May 12. The five accused were suspended of Sunday.

Commandant Rati Ranjan Debnath reportedly didn’t take any action regarding it and was suspended on Monday evening.

A notice from deputy secretary of state government Animesh Das said, “ .... in exercise of powers conferred by Clause (a) of Sub-rule (1) of Rule -3 of the All India Service (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969 hereby places the said Shri Rati Ranjan Debnath, IPS under suspension with immediate effect.”

The commandant of TSR 6th Battalion, Jitendra Debbarma, has been given the additional charge of 12th Battalion, according to the notice.

“Disciplinary proceedings against them has been initiated. Chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb ordered the DGP and chief secretary to take strong action regarding this,” Deb’s officer on special duty Sanjay Mishra said.

In November 2017, the commandant of Tripura State Rifles’ 2nd Battalion Tapan Debbarma was arrested in connection with the murder of senior journalist Sudip Datta Bhowmik. Bhowmik was allegedly shot at by Debbarma’s personal guard, who was also arrested.