Following the violence during protests in Tripura against the attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh, the Tripura High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.
The Court has directed the State government to file a reply before November 10 on the preventive steps taken to stop communal disturbances in the state. A 2-Judge Bench of Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice S Talapatra appreciated the role played by the print media and the political parties in restoring peace in the State. The Court emphasised that it was concerned about the liberty, life, livelihood and property of all citizens living in the State.
“The State may consider loaning peace committees not only at district levels but also at sub-divisional levels and if necessary at panchayet levels as well and we call upon all political parties to participate fully in such peace process so that confidence of the people of the state can be restored and the underlying strife that exists can be suitably dealt with,” the Court added. It had directed the State to file an affidavit, informing about the various stages of investigation with respect to cases registered in the aftermath of violence on October 26.
The Tripura High Court also asked the State government to take immediate action against the perpetrators of violence and restore the livelihood of those affected by the communal disturbances. The Judges noted the concern raised by the Advocate General of the State about the dissemination of morphed video footage and stoking of communal passion among the residents.
The Court directed the State to take necessary action against social media platforms for failing to remove fabricated and manipulated articles, pictures and video footage. “This Court calls upon the social media platforms to also act responsibly since today. Media has every right, as a part of their activities to publish the truth. It should not be allowed to be used to spread untruth and spread communal passion,” it concluded.
Protests in Tripura against targetting of Hindus in Bangladesh
Tripura witnessed communal disturbances following clashes in Dharmanagar of North Tripura. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had organized a march demanding the protection of minority Hindus in Bangladesh. The march was led by VHP leader Purna Chandra Mandal. According to some media reports, violence took place when the procession reached Rowa village of Dharmanagar. The situation turned worse following stone-pelting.
Some of the media reports claimed that protesters targeted a mosque and vandalized the properties of the minority community, however, the police had clarified that there was no attack on any mosque. Earlier, OpIndia had reported that although some shops belonging to Muslims were vandalised during the protests against attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, there was no attack on any mosque in Tripura.
