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November 08, 2021

India: Online Petition against Communal Violence in Tripura from Nagrik Adhikar Manch and All India Lawyers Union

 

Petition against Communal Violence in Tripura


NAGRIK ADHIKAR MANCH
and
ALL INDIA LAWYERS UNION
On
THE ACTION OF TRIPURA GOVERNMENT
Demand---
Stop Communal Violence
Stop persecution of Lawyers and
Citizens against Communalism

Online protest Petition against invoking sections 153A/153B/469/ 471/503/504/120B and Section 13 of ULAP Act, 1967 (UAPA Act, 1967) by the State of Tripura against four advocates of Delhi who visited areas effected in communal violence for finding facts.

Dear Fellow Citizens,
Nagrik Adhikar Manch and All India Lawyers Union intend to bring to your notice the condemnable action of the State of Tripura aimed at silencing the citizens and advocates from even investigating facts regarding communal violence perpetrated by the VHP and Hindu Jagran Manch and Bajrang Dal on the people of minority Muslim community.
It is learnt that a team of 4 lawyers from Supreme Court comprising of Adv. Ehtesham Hashmi (leader), Adv. Amit Srivastava, Adv. Ansar Indori and Adv. Mukesh visited the violence effected areas of Rawa Bazar, Panisagar (North Tripura), Kelashar, Dharamnagar and had on the spot enquiry to find out the true facts regarding communal violence, damage caused to the houses and business premises and the places of worship of the minority community. The fact-finding report of the team is already in public domain. The report contains information in respect of damage to the property of the victims, callousness of the Police of the effected areas and the administration of the Government of Tripura.
The report notes eloquently that communal harmony of the state was never so fragile in the past as it is under present political dispensation of the state. Violence against political opponents particularly CPI (M) is the new political phenomenon after victory of BJP in last Assembly elections. This October VHP, Hindu Jagran Manch and Bajrang dal on the pretext of communal violence in Bangladesh targeted poor Muslims’ homes, shops belonging to the people of minority community and their religious places. The report submitted by this fact-finding committee record the version of the victims.
Instead of recording FIR against the culprits of violence and assuaging the feeling of the victims of this communal frenzy the Government of Tripura has slapped the criminal charges including section 13 of UAPA on the members of the fact- finding team and dozens of those who shared the briefing of the report on social media.
The political leaders who enter the portals of power after swearing in the name of Constitution undertake to wreck it from within by sabotaging the Constitution.
A day before the notice, the lawyers had held a press conference at Press Club of India, which was streamed through Facebook live and other News Channels and released the Fact-Finding report titled as “Humanity Under Attack in Tripura” # Muslim Lives Matter.”
The report records that such incidents could have been prevented had the police and administration handled the situation strictly. The report further records that the Muslim organization Jammat-E-Ulema (Hind) had met the Chief Minister of the State four days ahead of incidents and informed him of possibility of danger to the communal peace and that the administration did not take any action to prevent the such incidents.
The fact-finding team placed 8 demands before the administration which include constituting an enquiry committee headed by a High Court Judge; FIR on the complaints of the victims; adequate compensation to the people who suffered their business due to such incidents; rebuild the damaged religious places; removal of police officials who were derelict in their duty and failed to prevent the incidents of violence; Strict action against persons and organizations responsible for inciting people through false propaganda on social media; strict action against those found guilty of perpetrating this communal violence.
Statement in protest against failure of the police and civil authorities in curbing violence is part of the democratic process.
Visiting affected areas and the victims is part of this socially committed democratic activity, to bring normalcy by highlighting the woes of the victims.
Reporting and protesting against communal violence and insisting for Rule of Law cannot by any stretch of imagination attract UAPA, sedition or any other criminal Charge/ offences slapped on the members of the fact-finding team. Government headed by the
We find that a pattern has been devised by the Government headed by BJP at the center and in the states to use stringent legal provisions like UAPA and Sedition against dissenters and social activists to suppress their democratic freedom of speaking against injustice, misrule and failure of the political leadership to deliver.
It is appropriate to call upon the west Agartala police to withdraw the charges of under section 13 of (punishment for unlawful activities) of the UAPA and other offences reportedly slapped against Delhi-based members of the fact-finding team.
We further call upon to immediately recall the notice sent under section 41 of the code of criminal procedure mentioned these IPC offences as well-Sections 153A/153B (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming information), 503 (Criminal Intimidation), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke the breach of peace) and 120B (Punishment for criminal conspiracy) against the lawyers.

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