AGARTALA, March 22: In a tragic incident of mistaken identity three Tripura policemen including a DSP and a Meghalaya police inspector were killed when they got involved in a fierce shoot out in heart of Dharmanagar town in North Tripura district this morning. Police force of the both the States was chasing a gang of kidnappers. In the gun battle between the two police groups, all in civvies two policemen were seriously injured. The incident took place in a crowded bus service complex at around 9.50 am. Senior police officers rushed to the spot. All communication links with Dharmanagar remain cut off after the incident even as conflicting reports of the encounter poured in. It was first reported that the encounter took place between the police force and the PLA militants and five civilians were killed. But later, police officers here confirmed that the encounter took place between Tripura police and Meghalaya police.
Police sources here said, the Meghalaya police led by an Inspector Pratap Chetri was chasing a gang of suspected militants who reportedly kidnapped a girl Nayak Aggarwal from School on March 14 last. The kidnappers called up the Aggarwal family on March 21 last and told them that the ransom money would have to be paid in Dharmanagar to a man with ?red cap?. The man with ?red cap? was supposed to arrive Dharmanagar this morning in private bus. The Meghalaya police accordingly informed the Tripura police and DSP (intelligence) Kalyan Sarkar with 15 personnel, all in civil dress and heavily laid an ambush in the bus complex waiting for the ?red cap?.
As the bus stopped the five Meghalaya police personnel, also in civvies, dropped in the spot and did not identify themselves. They were also keeping a watch for the man with a red cap. The bus arrived at Dharmanagar at 9.40 am and indeed a man with red cap got down. He was apparently waiting for the man who would bring the ransom money for the release of Nayank Agarwal. Kalyan Sarkar was keeping a close watch on the man with red cap and when he saw the man after a brief wait boarded an auto rickshaw he jumped in taking out his fire arms. Constable Nanigopal Debnath also followed.
At the moment the Meghalaya police mistook Kalyan Sarkar and the constable as the other members of the kidnappers gang and opened fire at them. Both were killed on the spot. Having heard the gun shots the policemen of Tripura rushed in and opened fire at the Meghalaya police suspecting them as kidnappers. The fierce fire fight began and the Meghalaya police took shelter behind a concrete wall of a shop and kept on firing. It is when SP North Joydeb Das arrived with mike and announced that the Tripura police have cordoned off the whole place, the Meghalaya policemen stopped firing came out and identified themselves. In the shoot out DSP (Intelligence Branch, Tripura Police) Kalyan Sarkar, and constable Nanigopal Debnath, Inspector of Meghalaya Police Pratap Chetri and Tripura police constable Sanat Nath were killed. Two others who received bullet injuries are constable Bijon Sarkar, Tripura Police and Benefit Sangma of Meghalaya Police.