7 spl police officers decamp with arms in Tripura

AGARTALA, Jan 24 – Seven special police officers recruited from the civilians to assist regular police in combating militancy, decamped with firearms and ammunitions on Tuesday night from a camp in North Tripura district. They were housed in a camp at Gachhirampara under Kanchanpur police station. Apparently they left to join the militant organisation. A special alert has been sounded throughout the North Tripura district and adjoining Dhalai district. The incident while creating sensation throughout the State and also triggered off serious reaction in the police department itself. This is for the first time so many ‘police’ personnel could manage to decamp with arms and ammunitions in a single attempt. The Government decision to appointment of special police officers in the State had already drawn severe criticism from the Opposition. The Opposition felt the decision was prompted by Government’s political consideration before elections. Many a quarter had also anticipated that arming local youths to fight militancy may turn counter productive as some of them may jet enticed to militancy. The anticipation has come true. The seven SPOs (recruited from civilians) were among the 30 personnel based in a camp at Gachhlampara in Kanchanpur subdivision. The camp in-charge was one assistant sub-inspector of police Satish Debbarma. There were five more regular policemen, one head constable Apu Debbarma and four DAR personnel. On Tuesday night at around 11 pm, seven SPOs led by one Sachindra Reang escaped from the camp with seven .303 rifles and 395 rounds of bullets. They slipped out of the camp and fled under cover of darkness. The SPOs have been identified as Sachindra Reang, Kiran Reang, Dhananjay Reang, Dhaneswar Reang, Upendra Reang and Kathiral Reang. It is not yet clear in which underground organisation they intended to join. It is apparent that they fled sometime after 10 pm because during the fall-in at that time all of them were present in the camp.

“Information we have received indicate that they might flee towards Shakahn Shermun hill range and we are on hot pursuit,” said IGP law and order K. Saleem Ali. He said all police stations have been alerted and the fugitives would be rounded up soon. As soon as the report reached Agartala, DIG (Range) AK Shukla rushed to the spot and launched an unprecedented combing operation with police and para-military forces across the North and Dhalal district to hunt down the seven SPOs. The Gachhirampara camp has been closed and camp in-charge and five other regular policemen have been ‘closed’. The SPOs in the camp have also been disarmed.

The top brass of the police department held a high level meeting to discuss the situation arising out of the incident. The incident is sure to embarrass the Government which ignoring the opposition demands went on with the recruiting SPOs. It is also likely to give the Opposition shot in the arm in the poll campaign.