UAPA Imposed On 102 People Including Journalists In Tripura

UAPA imposed on 102 people including journalists in Tripura, Editors Guild criticizes police action.

The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Sunday criticized the Tripura Police for registering a case against 102 people, including journalists and four Supreme Court lawyers, under the UAPA.

Also said that the government cannot use harsh laws to stop the publication/airing of news on incidents of communal violence.

The guild said in a statement that it was “deeply shocked” by the police action against the journalists and that it was an attempt by the Tripura government to hide its failure to control the violence perpetrated by the majority.

The guild said one of the journalists Shyam Meera Singh has alleged that he has been booked under UAPA for tweeting ‘Tripura is burning’.

The Guild says governments cannot use stringent laws like the UAPA to suppress reporting on such incidents.

Tripura Police on Saturday registered a case against 102 internet media account holders under UAPA, criminal conspiracy, and forgery charges and sent notices to Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

The government has asked them to freeze these accounts and provide all information about them.

Apart from the opposition Congress and CPI(M), human rights organizations in the state have criticized the state government over the issue.

They have demanded that the cases be withdrawn and action should be taken against the culprits.

A mosque was vandalized and two shops were torched in Tripura’s Chamtila during a Vishwa Hindu Parishad rally on October 26 to protest communal violence in Bangladesh.

According to the police, three houses allegedly owned by Muslims and some shops were also vandalized in the nearby Rowa market.

The state government had on October 29 alleged that a group conspired against the administration to create unrest and tarnish its image in Tripura by uploading fake pictures of a burning mosque on social media after the October 26 incident.