How politicians promoted false news & propaganda by spreading rumours about mosque vandalism in Tripura? | Anushka writes

In India, politics and religion have always been closely linked. The fact that politicians try to appeal to people from specific religions or specific communities is an open secret. In a similar fashion, some left-wing politicians and netizens tried to spread a rumour that more than a dozen mosques were vandalized in Tripura with hopes of inciting a riot. According to those politicians, the alleged vandalism was in response to violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. Some even tried to put out doctored images of a mosque in the Panisagar division of Northern Tripura. The exact origin of these rumours is currently unknown. In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs released a statement saying ‘There is no reported case of damage’ and also stated that the reports of rape or death are false. Tripura Police refuted the news with a tweet and cleared up that the rumours were being spread by people with fake IDs. The decision to choose Tripura, rather than another state seems suspicious and deliberate since the current government there is run by Bhartiya Janta Party [BJP]. It is also worth noting that the reports of vandalism and riots are surfacing right before the Vidhan Sabha elections in crucial states such as UP and Uttarakhand. The only proof to back up the claims are some doctored images and an FIR. Their justification doesn’t make sense, considering that the alleged vandalism happened between 19 October and 26 October. Meanwhile, the attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus only became public during the tail end of October [around the 29th to be specific]. All in all, the whole scandal seems like a desperate attempt to cause some communal tensions. With Vidhan Sabha elections around the corner, it will be interesting to see which direction the smear campaign goes in.