Agartala: The Forum for Protection of Journalists in Tripura on Thursday named former director-general of police K. Nagaraj in connection with the murder of senior crime reporter Sudip Dutta Bhowmik.

The forum demanded a CBI inquiry into Bhowmik's murder as the special investigation team (SIT) formed for the purpose can't investigate a senior officer's involvement.

Forum leader and veteran journalist Subal Kumar Dey told the media at Agartala Press Club that he didn't have faith on the SIT's investigation into Bhowmik's murder.

Senior journalist and forum member Debashish Majumder said during a visit to the Tripura State Rifles battalion headquarters at RK Nagar in West Tripura district on November 21, shortly after Bhowmik was shot dead on the TSR complex, they had found burnt copies of Syandan Patrika (for which Bhowmik worked) and his pen.

"A particular news item in the issue that was burnt drew our attention. It was about former director-general of police K. Nagaraj," he added.

He claimed that suspended TSR commandant Tapan Debbarma, who is in judicial custody for allegedly murdering Bhowmik, had good relations with Nagaraj, whose relation with Bhowmik was strained. The forum claimed this to be a link in Bhowmik's murder.

Nagaraj was removed as DGP earlier this year following a Supreme Court order after the CBI found his assets highly disproportionate to his income.

A team of 10 journalists from Tripura had recently visited President Ram Nath Kovind and home minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi and demanded CBI probe into Bhowmik's murder.