Tripura Police Say Pics Of Torched, Vandalized Mosque Fake. Legal Action To Be Taken

The police have already registered cases and legal action will be taken against all those spreading fake news and communally sensitive rumours

Image: ANI

New Delhi: A day after pictures of the burnt and damaged mosque including videos surfaced on social media, the state police on Wednesday said fake accounts are being used to spread the news and communally sensitive rumours at the Panisagar area in Tripura.

The police added that the situation is "absolutely normal". Action will be taken against those spreading rumours, the police said. "Some vested interests are trying to disturb the peaceful communal situation of Tripura. Tripura Police requests every citizen of Tripura to help it in maintaining law and order and peace in Tripura,” it said.

The videos and photos that are being spread have no connection with Tuesday's incident, the police said. According to police, the violence happened during a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) rally in protest against a series of attacks on Hindus during Durga Puja in Bangladesh.

"Anti-national and mischievous elements on Twitter and Facebook are spreading fake news and rumours. The videos and photos that are being spread have no connection with the Panisagar incident. No fire incident took place at any mosque," Tripura Inspector General of Police Police Saurabh Tripathi told news agency ANI.

"We request people of all communities not to support & subscribe to such fake IDs and do not spread such fake pictures. We have already registered cases and Legal action will be taken against all those spreading fake news and communally sensitive rumours," said Tripura Police in a tweet.

On Wednesday, the police said that some anti-social elements participated in a VHP rally and instigated the violence. "Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists took out a rally to protest against the recent violence in Bangladesh. A group of people threw stones and damaged a door of a mosque in the Chamtilla area during the rally. Security forces rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control," district superintendent of police Bhanupada Chakraborty was quoted saying by news agency PTI.

The state has beefed up security and deployed troops in North Tripura district following turmoil in Panisagar and Dharmanagar area, about 155 km from state capital Agartala. However, no fresh incident has been reported from Tripura after the police banned the assembly of four or more people in the affected region.