'Truth cannot be silenced': Rahul Gandhi flays use of UAPA in Tripura

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday said truth cannot be silenced by booking people under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in Tripura.

He also attacked the BJP, saying its favourite cover-up tactic is "shooting the messenger ".

The reaction came after the police invoked UAPA against social media handles including those of journalists and activists over alleged clashes and attacks on mosques in Tripura.

"Pointing out that Tripura Is Burning is a call for corrective action. But BJP's favourite cover-up tactic is shooting the messenger. Truth can't be silenced by UAPA," Gandhi said on Twitter.

The Tripura Police on Saturday booked 102 social media account holders under UAPA, criminal conspiracy and forgery charges and served notices to the authorities of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to freeze their accounts and inform all particulars of those persons to it.

This action came after Tripura Police registered a case against four Supreme Court lawyers under the stringent act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly promoting communal disharmony with their social media posts on the recent violence in the state.

The state government had on October 29 alleged that a group from outside with vested interests had hatched a conspiracy against the administration to create unrest in Tripura and malign its image by uploading fake photographs of a burning mosque on social media after the October 26 incident.