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Journalism of Courage
Heavy security was deployed after meat was allegedly found inside a mosque complex in the Tilabazar area of Tripura’s Unakoti district on Sunday evening, sparking outrage among people.
According to residents, the chief cleric found a plastic packet lying on the floor of the century-old Jame Masjid, and when he opened it, he saw the meat and a letter. Soon after, a heavy contingent of Tripura Police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) was rushed to the area to bring the situation under control.
Sources said the letter purportedly claimed that Tripura used to be a Hindu state, and the Tilabazar Jame Masjid was built on land that earlier housed a Hindu temple. The anonymous letter demanded that the mosque be demolished immediately.
A team of senior officers from the local administration and police, including acting Avinash Rai, acting Superintendent of Police, Unakoti; L Darling, Additional SP, Jayanta Karmakar, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO); Matilal Debbarma, Deputy Magistrate, and others, also rushed to the spot.
Speaking to reporters late Sunday, Rai said some miscreants tried to disturb the local communal harmony, and that he was satisfied that all communities in the area were fully cooperating with the administration in tracking those responsible.
He also said a case was registered at the local police station, and security forces were already deployed on the ground to maintain law and order.
The local administration has urged people to abstain from engaging in rumour-mongering on social media.
A large section of people, including senior Congress leader and Gournagar Block Vice Chairman Md Badruzzaman, Moboshor Ali, Chairman, Tripura Wakf Board and ex-MLA, and local community leaders, gathered in the area soon after the packet was discovered.
Congress leader Badruzzaman expressed concern over alleged attempts to create communal unrest in different parts of the state recently, and said donation boxes were stolen from Kanakpur and Gournagar areas in the vicinity, and meat was found inside a mosque in Udaipur in the Gomati district.
“It is clear that some miscreants are trying hard to create communal disharmony. I urge people to maintain peace and not get agitated by anything on social media. The people who did this are culprits and they must be booked, awarded exemplary punishment,” he said.
Tripura Wakf Board chairman and BJP leader Moboshor Ali also said attempts to create communal unrest in the area were “heinous and deliberate.”
The mosque was later washed with water and bleaching powder amidst tight security.
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