Tripura : Some of the visuals used in the story may be disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
A spell of violence had gripped Tripura in the third week of October, with homes and places of worship belonging to Muslims being targeted.
The pretext for the violence is said to have been the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh which the state shares a border with.
Hindus were attacked, houses were burnt and temples were vandalized in Bangladesh over the desecration of a Hindu deity and the Quran, during Durga puja.
There were protests across the country, including Tripura where right-wing groups like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Hindu Jagran Manch led the rallies.
There were instances of protestors clashing with police personnel over being denied permission for the rally. This was followed by a spell of violence where Muslim settlements were attacked, at least 15 mosques were allegedly burnt or vandalized and shops owned by Muslims were set on fire, according to Maktoob Media.
Local right-wing leaders claimed that the situation got violent because either they were “provoked by Muslims” or “a small group of people caused it.”
This article will look at how social media was used to mobilise mobs in Tripura. This is critical to answering the question whether the violence caused was spontaneous or pre-planned.
‘Hindu Khatre Mein Hain’
Most of the posts put up by these leaders primarily aimed at the notion ‘Hindus are in danger and we need to do something about it.’
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