Tripura police to review UAPA cases against journalists, lawyers

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday directed Director General of Police (DGP) V.S. Yadav to review the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) cases lodged against journalists and lawyers, after some communal incidents were reported in the state in October this year.

A Tripura Home Department official said that the DGP, following the directions from the Chief Minister, has asked Puneet Rastogi, ADGP, Crime Branch, to review the cases.

"Attempts were made last month and earlier this month to disrupt the law and order situation in the state by circulating fake photos and videos of burning mosques in Tripura on social media.

"In order to control this, and to maintain peace and communal harmony, the Tripura police filed cases against 102 persons under various sections of UAPA and IPC. The persons include journalists and lawyers, mostly from outside the state," the official said.

The Tripura police had earlier asked Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to provide details of over a hundred accounts from which various fake and provocative posts were made in connection with some reported incidents in the state after the communal violence in Bangladesh in October.

Following the communal incidents in the neighbouring country, more than 50 organisations and political parties, including the All India Imam's Council and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, had organised rallies in different parts of Tripura, condemning the attacks on the minorities in Bangladesh.

After a few incidents involving the minorities, the north Tripura district authorities had promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Panisagar and Dharmanagar sub-divisions as a precautionary measure. -IANS