The Tripura Police has sent a notice to Twitter to block 68 users for posting allegedly “distorted and objectionable” news items regarding the recent communal violence in the state. These users have been booked by the police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Towards the end of October, a mosque, some shops and houses belonging to the minority Muslim community in Tripura were allegedly vandalised. The communal violence was purportedly triggered by anti-Hindu violence in neighbouring Bangladesh.
According to the Tripura chapter of Jamiat Ulama, at least 15 incidents of communal attacks against the Muslim community had occurred in October.
As per the Tripura Police, the content posted by the social media users who they have booked under UAPA had the “potential to flare up communal tension in Tripura between different religious communities, which may result in communal riots.”
The Tripura Police claimed that the users had “been found using photographs and videos of some other incidents and fabricated statements” to promote “enmity between religious groups” as part of a “criminal conspiracy”.
The police have sought user registration details, browsing logs, IP addresses and mobile phone numbers linked to the Twitter users who have been booked.