Tripura police booked 102 people under UAPA for social media posts against communal violence
Opposition leaders have criticized the police for their “high-handed” behavior.
NEW DELHI: Tripura police have prosecuted 102 people on various social media platforms under the Strict Illegal Activities (Prevention) Act for protesting or even merely mentioning recent communal violence in the northern districts of the state. This latest move reflects the tendency of the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states to try to criminalize protests.
According to Tripura police sources, cases have been registered against 68 people on Twitter, 32 on Facebook and two on YouTube. The cases initially filed with the West Agartala police station have now been transferred to the state crime branch. The lawsuits come after state police first sued two Delhi-based lawyers – Ansar Indori and Mukesh – to take part in an independent fact-finding investigation into communal violence, alleging that Muslim-owned property and mosques were specifically attacked. Right Hindutva party.
In a letter dated November 3, 2021, West Agartala Thana initially wrote on Twitter requesting to block at least 68 accounts and provide personal information about them, a case has been filed under Section 13 of the UAPA. Filed against the mentioned account holders.
“The posts are likely to spread communal tensions between different religious communities in the state of Tripura, which could lead to communal riots,” the state police notice on Twitter said, adding that account holders had posted “distorted and offensive news items / statements” in the state’s Muslim community mosque and Alleged attack. ”
“While publishing these news items / posts, individuals / organizations were found to be in the presence of a criminal conspiracy to spread hatred among religious groups / communities by using images / videos, fabricated statements / commentary of some other incident,” the notice said. Section 13 of the UAPA which deals with incitement to an illegal activity and which is stated in cases punishable by imprisonment for seven years.
While it is not yet clear if 32 Facebook accounts and two YouTube accounts have been targeted by police, some of the 68 Twitter accounts in question only condemn communal violence. Of the 68, many are journalists who have reported violence from their Twitter accounts. Clearly, most of this is held by Muslims, whereas only a few belong to other communities.
The Wire could not independently verify the content of the posts tweeted by the respective accounts, or state police could not confirm whether there were “offensive” or “fabricated statements / comments” that could further escalate communal tensions in the state.
Prominent Twitter accounts named in the case include the Indian American Muslim Council, the National Institute of Technology, Professor Selim Engineer in Jaipur, CJ Warleman, the world correspondent for the British newspaper Byline Times, and Zafrul Islam Khan. Former chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission, the Punjab Provincial Congress Minorities Department, student activist Sharjeel Usmani, and Indian journalists Shyam Mira Singh, Jahangir Ali and Sartaj Alam.
In response to the allegations, journalist Shyam Mira Singh tweeted that UAPA had pressured him to say “Tripura is burning” on his Twitter handle.
Speaking to The Wire, Tripura Police PRO and Assistant Inspector General (Law and Order) Subrata Chakraborty said the UAPA was called keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the problem. “No arrests have been made so far. We have taken cognizance of the social media posts and a lawsuit has been filed. I don’t want to comment any more. ”
Opposition parties have stated they will not run in the by-elections. Speaking to The Wire, Jitendra Chowdhury, a former Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP, said the police action was “unconstitutional and unethical” and goes against the doctrine of civil rights as enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
“It is true that the Sangha family workers are involved in violence. There was communal violence in the state. It is normal for sensitive people to react. It is ridiculous to press harsh UAPA allegations, ”he said, adding that the police move was an attempt to cover up the BJP-led state government’s own failure to maintain peace in Tripura.
Tripura police booked 102 people under UAPA for social media posts against communal violence
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
