What could be termed as an attempt to quell the dissent with all the might a state possess, the Tripura police has bookesd as much as 102 people for posting about communal violence in Tripura.
In another attempt to criminalise protests, the Tripura police has booked 102 people, some of them are foreign citizen, under the strict Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, protesting or even informing about the mass communal violence in the northern state of Tripura.
What could be termed as an attempt to quell the dissent with all the might a state possess, especially BJP ruled state, is being put in force against not just Indian citizen but also on foreign activist.
The cases initially were filed with the West Agartala Police, now have been transferred to the Crime Branch of the state. According to the report published in online news portal the wire, 68 account holders (mostly Muslims as name suggested) across the social media including YouTube have been booked under section 13 of UAPA.
These charges came after the state police booked two independent fact-finders from Delhi — Mukesh and Ansar Indori under UAPA.
Among the charged people, Islamophobia activist CJ Werleman is also booked under the law.
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In a notice to the micro blogging site Twitter, the Tripura Police said, “The posts have potential to flare up communal tension in Tripura State between different religious communities, which may result into communal riots.”
The police also alleged that these account holders presented “distorted and objectionable news items/statements regarding the recent clash and alleged attack upon mosques of Muslim communities in the state”.
The police further added, “In publishing these news items/posts, the persons/organisations have been found using photographs/videos of some other incidents, fabricated statements/ commentary for promoting enmity between religious groups/ communities in presence of a criminal conspiracy”, as reported by the Wire.
The Bhartiya Janta Party has a history of misusing the stringent UAPA to quell the dissent against the government and its policy. This was another addition to the numbers.
Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government is also known for misusing the act. According to the NCRB report, Uttar Pradesh is among the “Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of cases under ‘Offences against State”. “‘Offences against State’ includes cases booked under sedition, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Official Secrets Act, damage to public property, and imputation, assertions prejudicial to national integration.’
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