Tripura journalist Sudip Datta Bhaumik was shot dead by Tripura State Rifles (TSR) constable on the orders of his commandant in a pre-conceived revenge plan against Bhaumik for his exposes, alleged Subal Kumar Dey, the editor of Syandan Patrika for which Bhaumik worked.

Sudip Datta Bhaumik, working with Bengali newspaper 'Syandan Patrika, was gunned down on Tuesday. Initial reports said the killing followed an altercation with the TSR constable. Later Tapan Debbarma, a commandant of the TSR, was also arrested as it was on his alleged orders that constable Nandu Reang shot at Bhowmik.

Dey said Bhowmik was shot dead because he had written a series of reports on “financial irregularities and corruption cases” that involved Debbarma.

"Bhowmik was called by Tapan Debbarma, the 2nd TSR Commandant, and murdered in cold blood. Sudip’s only crime was that he had exposed a number of financial irregularities and corruption cases in which Debbarma was involved,” Dey told The Indian Express.

Refuting claims that Bhowmik was shot while trying to flee after an altercation with the officer, Dey said he noticed bruises on Bhowmik's elbows and bloodstains on the door of Debarama's office.

“His mobile phone and notebook are missing. His identity card and wallet, however, were intact. The officer must have snatched them away because he was recording as well as taking down notes,” he reportedly alleged.

Tapas Dey, former MLA and editor of a local newspaper, criticised Manik Sarkar-led government and said Bhowmik's killing was a result of intolerance.

"I will describe Sudip's killing as a result of intolerance (on) of the government (part) as well as of the administration. They don't like to face the media reports highlighting corruption. The easiest thing is killing as the perpetrators get backing or non action of the government (sic)," Dey said.

"The government is responsible for failing to provide security to media personnel. It is the new phenomenon to kill journalists in order to stop negative media coverage. Corruption here is institutionalised. First, the efforts are made to purchase media, but when it fails then they are awarded death," the former MLA said.

Ali, the chief of Tripura Journalist Union, said, "Sudip Datta Bhowmik went to the chamber of the commandant Tapan Debbarma, who is heading the second battalion of Tripura State Rifles. After that we don't know what exactly happened."

He further added: "But, he was shot at in a meticulous way so that he doesn't survive. They (TSR) took follow up measures to hush up the evidence by taking away the body to distance, burning down papers he was carrying, and his mobile phones were also missing."

He said it was the first incident that a journalist was murdered by a security force.

"We have witnessed the killing of journalists in other northeastern states like Manipur and Assam but those murders were committed either by insurgents or anti-social elements but killing of Sudip (Bhowmik) was horrific in a sense that it was committed, perpetrated, and executed by the security force. The Commandant himself is the guilty of committing the crime as the guard opened fire on Sudip did so on his orders," Ali said.

He also said the union was not satisfied by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) enquiry ordered by the state government "as the CID is a part or tool of the state police, so it can't probe the case wherein a senior security official and his team were involved".

Tapan Debbarma, the Commandant of 2nd Battalion TSR, in whose office and on his direction the killing allegedly took place has been arrested.

His death occurred nearly two months after young television journalist Santanu Bhowmik died after he was attacked while covering a road blockade agitation of the IPFT.

(Inputs from ANI)