AGARTALA: Chief minister Manik Sarkar on Monday turned down the demand for a CBI probe into journalist Shantanu Bhowmik's murder, causing an uproar in the assembly. He urged them, instead, to place faith in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police which is handling the investigation.The two-day session of the assembly, the last before the elections next year, began on Monday. Responding to Congress MLA Ratan Lal Nath 's query, Sarkar said the case will not be transferred to CBI. "I cannot say much about the investigation at this stage, but the SIT has been constituted under senior, committed police officers, who have initiated a thorough investigation into the case. I have full faith in them and would request the house to have faith in the police team," he added.The demand for a CBI probe into the murder, which occurred on September 20 at Mandai when Bhowmik was returning after covering clashes between CPM and IPFT , has been gaining ground in the state. The state government, however, has been insistent on a SIT probe.After Sarkar's statements, members of the opposition and the treasury bench had an altercation. Speaker RC Debnath had to intervene to restore order in the House.Nath, meanwhile, was dissatisfied with the response. "In all instances, SITs have utterly failed to ensure justice. Due to weak chargesheets, the accused were acquitted," he said, referring to the Rose Valley chit fund scam.BJP MLA Sudip Roy Barman, on the other hand, said police have often handed over the investigation long after the incident occurred and failed to protect vital evidence in the cases. In case of Shantanu too, he added, police are trying to destroy evidence.The opposition pushed for a bill to protect those in the media discharging their duty. Sarkar assured the house he would look into the demand.

Stay updated with all the Agartala Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.