Tripura Chief Minister Orders Review Of Terror Cases Against Journalists

102 people, including lawyers and journalists, were recently charged with a controversial anti-terror law for allegedly spreading misinformation.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb today asked Tripura's top cop to review cases filed against journalists and lawyers under a controversial anti-terror law. 102 people, including lawyers and journalists, were recently charged with sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly sharing fake visuals of violence in Tripura last month, which the police claim disturbed the peace in the state and created a law-and-order challenge. 

The Supreme Court had on November 17 granted relief to three people who had filed a plea demanding the UAPA cases against them be cancelled. Journalist Shyam Meera Singh was charged for posting a tweet that said "Tripura is burning". Supreme Court lawyers Ansar Indori (from the National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation) and Mukesh (from the Peoples' Union of Civil Liberties) were part of an independent fact-finding team that had visited the state to assess the situation on the ground and prepare a report. The SC had issued a notice to the Tripura government and said that no coercive action was to be taken against the three until further orders. 

On the CM's direction, the state's Director General of Police V.S. Yadav has asked the Additional Director General of the crime branch of Tripura police to review cases filed against lawyers and journalists under UAPA. 

Various journalists' bodies and civil liberties groups had slammed the Tripura government for trying to "intimidate and silence" the media and demanded immediate withdrawal of these cases.