The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a detailed action taken report from the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Tripura regarding the anti-Muslim violence across the northeast state.
The complaint was filed by RTI activist and national spokesperson of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Saket Gokhale.
The complaint alleged that despite reports of violence against persons from the religious minority community, the state machinery acted like a bystander by siding with a rioting mob.
“The Commission has considered the complaint and directed its Registry to transmit the copy of the complaint to the Chief Secretary, Government of Tripura and the Director-General of Police, Tripura to submit an action taken report within a period of four weeks,” India’s premium human rights panel said.
Maktoob reported more than two dozen hate crimes against Muslims including mosque vandalisation, attacks against Muslim houses, shops, and hawkers, molesting Muslim women, and anti-Muslim and genocidal slogans during the rallies.
At least 15 mosques were attacked by Hindutva groups RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal across Tripura while two of them were burnt in week-long violence against Muslims in the northeastern state, a petition to the Tripura High Court by a mosque committee president states.
In his complaint, Gokhale has alleged that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) carried out a rally in an area under North Tripura during which one of the mosques was vandalized and two shops were burnt down by the mob who carried out the rally.
“It is alleged that workers of the ruling party of the State had attacked leaders All India Trinamool Congress while they were campaigning in the State. It is also alleged that during such incidents of political violence, one of the sitting Member of Parliament and other workers of AITC sustained injuries, their vehicle was vandalized and belongings were stolen,” the NHRC report further said.
Tripura High Court on 29 October after taking suo moto cognizance of the issue of violence against minorities in several districts, called upon the state to file its reply by 10 November on preventive measures taken by it and enquired as to what is their plan to scuttling the design of stoking communal passion.
