Lynched Tripura Journalist Santanu Bhowmik바카라�s Last Words To His Channel: 바카라�Reaching Office Soon바카라�

바카라�Soft-spoken, decent, but tremendously brave and professionally committed,바카라� this is how Samir Dhar, honorary editor-in-chief of Agartala-based news channel 'Din Raat' remembers Santanu Bhowmik, who was lynched on Wednesday while covering a road blockade agitation of the IPFT.

Bhowmik had gone to Mandai, around 25km from the Tripura capital, to report the agitation and road blockade by the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) when he was hit from behind and abducted. Later, Bhowmick was found with serious stab injuries and was rushed to the Agartala Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Superintendent of Police of West district Abhijit Saptarshi said the situation at Mandai was already tense. Prohibitory orders under section 144 Crpc were already in force in the area and more police forces were being rushed to there. Over a hundred activists of the Gana Mukti Parishad (GMP), the tribal wing of the ruling CPI-M, were on Tuesday injured in a clash with the IPFT at Chhankhola area of Khowai district, about 40 km from Agartala.

바카라�On Wednesday morning, Santanu came to know that the IPFT, which has been demanding a separate tribal state called Tipraland, was holding an agitation in Mandai. Soon, he along with a freelance videojournalist rushed to the spot from his residence in Jirania, which is around 7.5 km from Mandai,바카라� Dhar told Outlook from Agartala.

Bhowmik then sent the channel a few exclusive footage of the blockade.

바카라�It was around 1.15 pm, Santanu called up one of our colleagues, saying he was reaching the office soon. This was the last time he spoke to us,바카라� said Dhar, who is also the Tripura bureau chief of Kolkata-based Bengali newspaper Aaj Kal.

According to Dhar, from the agitation site Bhowmik returned to his home for lunch. Around 3 pm, as he was leaving for the office, the journalist received information that members of the IPFT were setting some vehicles ablaze.  

바카라�Without informing us, he went back to that place, hoping for more exclusive footage. While making some video clips on his mobile phone, he came close to the agitators. That is when he was 바카라�gheraoed바카라� by the protestors despite a thick police presence. They first hit Santanu on his leg with a heavy object. When he fell down, they dragged him inside a nearby stadium, where they lynched him,바카라� said the editor, adding that Santanu바카라�s passion for work proved 바카라�too costly바카라�.

Dhar added that the attackers even took away his mobile phone, which could have been a vital evidence in the murder case.

Din Raat was launched in April this year. "I still remember, Santanu had come for a job interview. He was very polite, but looked really impressive. He had previously worked with two other local channels," he said.

바카라�He exposed IPFT바카라�

Santanu was among the first journalists in the state who had reported that the IPFT was politically backed. 바카라�He loved investigative stories바카라�, recalls Dhar.

 바카라�Ever since he had joined the Din Raat -- a cable channel -- in April, he had been extensively covering the IPFT,바카라� he added.

바카라�He was fearless. Perhaps, he was the only journalist who had comprehensively covered the earlier blockade called by the IPFT on July 10 that had led to a serious shortage of essential items, including food grain. He had become a popular reporter,바카라� said Chakraborty, who was Santanu바카라�s senior colleague when the latter started his journalism career with 바카라�Khabar 365바카라�, a local Bengali news channel, in 2013.  

Opened a nursery school for poor children

바카라�Santanu would tell me, 바카라�I want to work for the poor바카라�. He even opened a nursery school for poor children near his house and used to teach there. It shows his humanity바카라� I can바카라�t believe he is no more with us,바카라� said Dhar as his voice chokes.