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‘Reports of vandalisation of a mosque in Tripura’s Gomati fake’, says govt
“There is no reported case of damage to the structure of any Masjid in Tripura in the recent past," Centre claimed
The Union government claimed news reports detailing an alleged incident of vandalisation of a mosque in Kakraban area of Gomati district in Tripura are “fake” and a “complete misrepresentation of facts”.
“These news reports are fake and are a complete misrepresentation of facts. The mosque in Dargabazar area of Kakraban has not been damaged and the Tripura Police in Gomati district is working to maintain peace and tranquillity,” the government said in an official press release.
Reports of vandalisation began doing the rounds on social media following which Tripura Police released a statement in which it said, “This is a complete misrepresentation of facts. The mosque in Dargabazar area of Kakraban is completely fine & Gomati police is working to maintain peace and tranquillity.”
Communal tension flared in the northeastern state after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) took out a rally in north Tripura’s Dharmanagar following which a mosque was allegedly vandalised in Panisagar sub-division and homes of those belonging to the Muslim community were also damaged. Police imposed Section 144 in the concerned area to bring the situation under control.
The Centre, however, claimed all such reports were untrue. “There is no reported case of damage to the structure of any Masjid in Tripura in the recent past. There is no report of simple or grievous injury or rape or death of any person in these incidents as alleged in some social media posts," it said.
Tripura police booked at least 102 social media account holders, including 68 Twitter handles, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly distorting news on communal violence.
The press release also mentioned the violent incident in Maharashtra’s Amravati, where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took out a protest against a bandh called by members of the Muslim community to protest against the violence in Tripura, which led to massive crowds surging onto the roads, shouting slogans, carrying banners and saffron flags. Some sections of the protest began pelting stones at private and government vehicles, shops and establishments, forcing the police to resort to mild caning.
“People should maintain calm and should not be misguided by such fake reports. For instance, in Maharashtra, there have been reports of violence and unsavoury statements that are aimed at disturbing peace and harmony, based on fake news regarding Tripura. This is very concerning and it is urged that peace is maintained at all costs,” the government press release cautioned.
