BJP-led Tripura govt ignored warnings, failed to act to check violence against Muslims: Fact-finding report

After violence broke out in predominantly Muslim areas in Tripura, a group of lawyers who carried out a fact-finding visit to the state observed that several mosques and shops run by Muslims in the state had been targeted following attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh as a “result of irresponsibility of the administration” and extremist organisations.

The recent violence is motivated by politics because when religious fractures are created in the country, people do not demand employment, development, education but only get tangled in Hindu-Muslim fights, stated their report.

The team of lawyers, led by Supreme Court advocate Ehtesham Hashmi and Lawyers for Democracy, said that the attacks on Muslims in Tripura occurred after Vishwa Hindu Parishad goons carried out a protest rally on October 26 against the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

The fact-finding team found out that such incidents could have been prevented had the police and administration handled the situation strictly. Four days before the incident, Muslim organisation Jamaat-E-Ulema (Hind) met the Chief Minister, Biplab Kumar Dev, to inform him that such incidents could take place and there was a danger to the peace between Hindus and Muslims. Despite this, the government did not take any action which is tantamount to sponsoring this violence, said the report.

“Due to this incident, all the people whose businesses have suffered financial loss should get appropriate compensation by the state government and it should be compensated soon so that these innocent people can get their life back on track and their businesses and work can resume smoothly,” the report said.

The lawyers called for an inquiry committee headed by a retired High Court judge to be set up to probe the incidents and filing of separate FIRs based on the victims’ complaints.

The group of lawyers has stated that police officers who did not take any action despite the possibility of violence should be held responsible.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met people of the Hindu community right after the violence. The neighbouring nation’s government also arrested many people and ministers of the government met with the victims of the Hindu community as well. But the BJP government in Tripura did not take any such steps.