Security has been tightened and restrictions on gatherings have been enforced in the affected areas.

The violence followed clashes between Hindu groups and the police.

The groups were protesting against the police refusing them permission to hold a rally against recent attacks on Hindus in neighboring Bangladesh.

At least seven people were killed, temples desecrated and hundreds of houses and businesses of the Hindu minority torched in Bangladesh earlier this month after reports that the Qur’an had been insulted at a special pavilion set up for the annual Hindu religious festival of Durga Puja.

Tripura is encircled on three sides by Bangladesh and connected by a thin corridor to the neighbouring state of Assam. The state has been run by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2018 after 25 years of Communist rule.

More than 10 incidents of religious violence have been reported from the North Tripura district in the past four days.

Authorities enforced restrictions on large gatherings after Tuesday night’s violence in the border town of Panisagar in which a mosque and several shops belonging to Muslims were vandalized.

The attacks followed a rally taken out by the hardline Hindu organization, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) — a close ally of the BJP.

Soubhik Dey, a senior police official in Panisagar, said some 3,500 people had taken part in the rally.

“Some VHP activists participating in the rally ransacked a mosque in the Chamtilla area. Later, three houses and three shops were ransacked and two shops were set on fire in the Rowa Bazar area, around 800 yards from the first incident,” Dey said.

Police said the ransacked shops and houses belonged to Muslims and a case has been filed based on a complaint by one of them.

Narayan Das, a local leader of Bajrang Dal, another hardline Hindu group, has claimed that some youngsters in front of the mosque abused them and brandished swords, a charge that could not be independently verified.

The Tripura police tweeted that “some people are spreading rumours and circulating provocative messages on social media” and appealed to people to maintain peace.

North Tripura District Police is taking lawful action in c/w incident happened today. Situation is under control.

Some people are spreading rumours and circulating provocative messeges on social media. it is appeal to all not to believe such messages and maintain peace.

— Tripura Police (@Tripura_Police) October 26, 2021

Last week, the state unit of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, a Muslim organisation, had alleged that mobs had attacked mosques and neighborhoods dominated by Muslims. The Tripura police said that they were providing security to more than 150 mosques in the state.

Muslims make up less than 9% of Tripura’s 4.2 million population.

“Though a majority of Tripura’s population is Hindu refugees from what is now Bangladesh, there has never been any backlash against Muslims here after previous religious disturbances in the neighboring country,” said Bikach Choudhury, a Tripura-based writer.

Opposition parties have blamed the “politically motivated fringe elements” close to the BJP for the attacks on Muslims.

Sushmita Dev, an MP from the regional Trinamul Congress party, told the BBC that the BJP was trying to use the recent violence in Bangladesh to “polarize” the voters ahead of the municipal elections in the state in November.

Calls to Tripura’s Minority Affairs’ Minister Ratanlal Nath went unanswered.

But a BJP leader, on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, told the BBC that the opposition should “not try to spin political capital out of a few sporadic incidents in reaction to the massive attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh”.

He claimed that “the state government had done what is needed to control the situation”.

Assam Police’s Cyber Cell has kept its radar active to track any activity within the state that’s taking place in support of Taliban who took control of Afghanistan after 20 years. Eventually, they tracked 14 social media accounts who were directly and indirectly showing support to the extremist organization.

A senior police officer said, “A total of 14 people have been arrested so far in 11 districts of Assam, which includes one MBBS student of Hailakandi, studying in Tezpur Medical college, and two others”.

He added, “While some directly supported Taliban, some of them criticized India and the national media for not supporting Taliban. This could create communal tensions”.

The Special Branch (SB) of Assam police is overseeing the whole operation. 

Deputy Inspector General Violet Baruah said the Assam Police is taking stern legal action without any compromise against the pro-Taliban comments on social media that are harmful to India’s national security.

She tweeted, “Assam Police taking stern legal action against pro Taliban comments in the social media platform that are harmful to the National Security. We’re registering criminal cases against such persons. Please inform the police if any such thing comes to your notice”.

Police said that they found around 17-20 social media accounts posting and backing Taliban and their terrorist actions in Afghanistan.

The pro-Taliban posts were made from 11 districts in the state, while three other profiles belong to the people of Assam settled in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and in India’s metropolitan state of Mumbai.

According to the Police, the information of these three persons are extracted and will be forwarded to the Intelligence Bureau.

Taliban’s captured power in Afghanistan after overthrowing the internationally recognized government of Ashraf Ghani. The Biden administration is blamed for the mismanagement of the departure of the American forces after leaving a huge cache of modern weaponry in the hands of Taliban.

Umeedd has been doing a stupendous work. The way its members are working towards making people aware about CSA, is commendable and praiseworthy.

Remember Mani Ratnam’s Yuva (2004)? It was about a group of individuals willing to bring revolutionary changes in the society around them. That was reel world.

Now cut to the real world. There is a group of young individuals (based in Silchar, Cachar district in the state of Assam) who, like the characters in Yuva, are willing to bring a change in the society.

The change, however, will occur slowly but surely. These group of individuals (young guns) belong to an NGO, which is different and lack the characteristics of a typical NGO. ‘Umeedd A Better Tomorrow’ – is the name of that out-of-the-box NGO, which from its inception in the year 2014, has never looked back.

The word ‘Umeedd’ stands for hope and the phrase ‘A Better Tomorrow’ alone speak volumes about the aims and objectives of this NGO. Of late, Umeedd, one of the most popular NGOs of Silchar, of late, is focusing on minimising Child Sex Abuse (CSA) by spreading awareness among people about CSA through various forms of art, culture and music.

Umeedd’s street-play ‘Chitkar Kor Meye’ was about the evil effects of eve-teasing in the society. They conducted the street-play at some important points of Silchar. Most of the performers were students who volunteered this campaign against eve-teasing and sexual harassments. The play was directed by Anindya Sen, then assistant lecturer at the department of English, Assam University, Silchar.

Umeedd also came up with counseling and practical sessions on self-defence for girls and women of the town of Silchar. This unique way of educating the masses (of Barak Valley at least) about CSA has been Umeedd’s USP. The marriage of knowledge and art-culture-music to create awareness on CSA has been well-admired and well-appreciated.

From the very beginning, Umeedd has been organising seminars, street plays, live-sessions and interactive sessions on CSA and child pornography. They are hopeful that their efforts will bring a change in the people’s outlook, attitude and behaviour towards the children.

Umeedd has been doing a stupendous work. The way its members are working towards making people aware about CSA, is commendable and praiseworthy.

One of the most striking features of the NGO is that it’s members are talented, hard-working and above all determined to do something for the people and the society. They work for various causes and for uplift of the society.

Umeedd was founded by its present president Shamik Chanda, cultural activist, social worker, dance artiste, on September 12, 2014. He being an amiable and amicable boy, has been leading his team to bring positive changes in the society.

The article is a guest post published by Millichronicle to support and promote Umeedd and its activities.

Mohammed Anuwar Ali was born 102 years ago in the village of Assam’s Kamrup district, and he spent his entire life in the village. But he went bewildered when the authorities summoned him to Sibsagar area to prove his citizenship, failing to prove it will send all of them to deportation centers.

After selling everything, the villagers carried hefty price tag of Rs. 25,000 to 35,000 each to reach the Upper districts.

The agony-hit Ali said, “I have been summoned to Sibsagar, Jorhat, places I have never even heard the names of. I was born here 102 years ago, and I have been here ever since”, Inside Northeast reported.

He added that over 16 of his family members have also received the notices, and how will they gather “huge” money to travel.

The villagers have asked the Government how they are expected to reach the Upper Assam districts within a day while their financial conditions are too low.

However, Minister of Assam Assembly, Chandramohan Patowary said that many people in the tribal areas have been excluded, whereas Bangladesh-bordering areas have seen a high percentage of their population included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The minister said, “In the indigenous and tribal-dominated districts such as Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Baksa and Sonitpur, 14-15% people have been excluded. Likewise, 22% people in Bongaigaon and 18% in Guwahati have been excluded”, he said, casting doubts over the accuracy of the NRC,” Inside Northeast reported.