Massive Islamist push in Tripura and Biplab Deb’s Iron Fist

After incidents of communal tension were reported in Tripura over fake news of mosques being burnt last month, it is being reported that the Tripura Police have rounded up the notorious elements trying to destabilize the situation and given them a generous tap.

According to close sources, Tripura Police recently apprehended several Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in the capital city of Agartala who were still trying to ignite communal tension in the region. The police reportedly lathi-charged the lot and set them straight for trying to fan communal discord.

What happened in Tripura?

As reported extensively by TFI, it all started in Rowa in the Panisagar subdivision of Dharmanagar district, where Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) was leading the march for the rights of Hindus who had been persecuted in Bangladesh during the recent Durga Puja attacks.

However, using the VHP mob as a cover, notorious social media handles spread the rumour that they had charred a mosque in the neighbourhood and were coming for other Muslim localities.

Two journalists spread the fake news

Reportedly, two journalists named Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha who work for the HW News network fabricated the truth about attacks on mosques and attempted to instigate the Muslims of Tripura.

On the 11th of November, Sakunia had shared a video on Twitter in which she can be seen peddling fake news about attacks on mosques in Tripura.

She wrote, “Darga Bazaar: On 19th October at around 2:30 am, some unidentified people burnt down the mosque in Darga Bazaar area. People in the neighborhood are very upset with the fact that now they don’t have any place nearby to go and pray There’s no other masjid nearby.”

Reportedly, Sakunia had also claimed that a copy of the Quran had been burnt by Hindus inside a prayer hall owned by one Rahmat Ali at Hurijala in the Kakraban police station area of Gomati district.

Read More: Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha – the two journalists who tried to set Tripura ablaze

No Mosque or Quran was burnt: Tripura Police

However, contrary to the claims made by the two journalists, the state authorities remarked that no masjid or Quran was burnt and that the videos circulated were fake.

One of the officials was quoted as saying, “During yesterday’s protest rally in Panisagar, North Tripura, no masjid was burnt and the pictures being shared of burning or damaged masjid or collection of sticks etc are all fake and are not from Tripura. They may be of some countries.”

Tripura Police had also remarked that certain people were spreading fake news and rumours by using fake social media IDs. The police said that pictures being shared of burning or damaged mosques or collections of sticks, etc. were all fake and that they were not from Tripura.

With social media manufacturing communal riots out of thin air, the Tripura government has now decided to slap UAPA on social media users who spread misinformation and tried to incite riots and violence in the state. 

Islamists went on a rampage in Maharashtra

The fake news of Mosque burning led to Islamists going on a rampage in Maharashtra as well. Muslims in Maharashtra’s Malegaon, Amravati, and Nanded district had called ‘bandhs’ to protest against Tripura violence. However, the bandhs quickly turned into a chaotic violence-fest, as rabid Islamists pelted stones at shops and police.

In Malegaon, over a dozen people were injured, including 10 policemen. Meanwhile, in Nanded, eight policemen, including an ASP, an inspector, and six constables were injured. Moreover, at least three vehicles were damaged in stone-pelting, while a two-wheeler was set on fire.

Read More: Muslims run riot in Maharashtra for nearly two days. Media maintains silence

Despite the chaos and that too under the nose of the ‘progressive’ Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the mainstream media skimmed past the incident. The enthusiasm with which Tripura violence was falsely pinned on Hindu groups was nowhere to be seen.

However, under Biplab Dev, the state authorities are making sure that the notorious elements are set straight so as to avoid a repeat of such incidents.