An FIR has been registered against a Tripura CPIM leader and social media pages of the party for spreading fake news. The FIR was registered after Tripura BJP filed a complaint against CPIM for spreading fake news on social media claiming that BJP and RSS had demolished a statue depicting a woman performing the traditional Hojagiri dance in Khumulwng town in the state.
On 1st August, the Facebook account of CPIM Tripura had posted a video of the fallen statue, and claimed that it has been taken down by miscreants.
The West Tripura unit of the party went a step ahead, and blamed BJP and RSS for the incident. In a Facebook post, they claimed that miscreants of BJP-RSS had vandalised the statue depicting a young tribal lady located at the Head Quarter of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.
Jitendra Chaudhury, former MP of the party from Tripura, also posted images of the statue, blaming BJP and RSS for the same. “BJP-IPFT regime was inaugurated in Tripura through demolition of Lenin’s statue at Belonia on the day-1 itself,” he wrote, alleging that “Tripura is now a functioning lab of RSS-BJP in shaping their Hindu Rashtra Model for India”.
But the claims made by the entire leadership of CPIM in Tripura blaming BJP and RSS for the fallen statue is incorrect, because it fell due to heavy rains, and it was not attacked by miscreants. Saying that rumours are being spread on breaking of one statue at Khumlung, Tripura police clarified on social media that the statue fell down due to heavy rain.
The police also informed that a police party was present when the statue fell down, and a General Diary Entry has been recorded at the Radhapur Police Station in this regard. The police added that legal action is being taken against anyone spreading such rumours and thereby attempting to cause disharmony among communities, and requested citizens not to believe and spread such rumours.
Following the confirmation from police that the statue fell down due to rain, Tripura BJP lodged a complaint with the police and the district administration against the Communist Party of India (Marxist), its official Facebook pages, and Jitendra Chaudhury for spreading fake news. Suspecting political conspiracy behind the claims, BJP wrote in its complaint “We see it as a criminal effort to spread communal disharmony among the different communities of the State and as it appears a deep conspiracy has been hatched by the CPI(M) to promote and spread communal violence in the state. Such heinous efforts are also made in order to promote political anarchy in the state especially eyeing the forthcoming ADC Elections.”
They added, “it is an evil effort by the CPI(M) and its allies to destroy the process of progressive development of the state especially the ADC areas. This criminal conspiracy is against the true spirit and is also violative of the laws laid down by the Constitution of India and attracts penal measures of Indian Penal Code, 1860.”
Accordingly, a case was registered by police under sections 505(2)/153A(1)(a)/120B of the IPC at Radhapur Police Station, Khumulwng, Tripura, against the administrators of Facebook pages of Tripura CPIM, along with former MP Jitendra Chaudhury.
