Thread by @amit_tushar

Tripura violence background;

Religious fault lines in Tripura have been getting sharper due to political dynamics that have been developing in the state since the BJP took office in 2018.

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A new element has been introduced into the equation by the attempts of the Trinamool Congress from neighbouring West Bengal to expand its footprint into Tripura.

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Tripura’s Muslims, who form 9% of the population, are overwhelmingly Bengali speakers. They have not been in the limelight before because the conflict lines in the state have so far been between the Bengali Hindus and the indigenous tribal people.

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The dominance of Tripura’s administration by Bengali Hindus is reflected in claims by indigenous tribal organisations that Bengali Hindus have taken control of all institutions in their state and are disregarding the rights of the indigenous people.

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Emigration (of muslims to east Pakistan) led to a sharp fall in Tripura’s Muslim population. This is evident from the census: from 24.09% in 1941, the community’s numbers fell to 6.68% in 1971.

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Furthermore, as more wealthy and educated Muslims left Tripura, the community’s socio-economic downturn got steeper.

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Under CPIML rule, the areas of the state where tribals live were neglected in terms of development.

The resulting disillusionment led some to turn to militancy as part of a wider cluster of insurgent groups in the North East.

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As the percentage of Muslims fell to single-digit figures post-Partition, it made them ineffective as a potential constituency for political parties.

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Even under the seeming egalitarian policies of the CPIML regime, the socio-economic indicators of Muslims remained dismal. According to a govt survey in 2014, the share of Muslims in government services was 2.69%, which is much lower than their proportion in Tripura’s population.

Data collected in 2014 from 22 colleges found that the enrolment of Tripura’s Muslims in higher education was very low. Only 1.5% of women students were Muslim, while 3.6% of men students belonged to the community.

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Where once tribals were in the cross hairs, now it is Muslims. While partly true, this reasoning does not reflect the complete picture. The BJP’s rival, the Trinamool Congress, which rules West Bengal, is trying to make inroads in the state. This where the story takes form.

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In West Bengal, a major portion of Trinamool Congress’s support comes from the state’s Muslim population. With Tripura’s tribal population overwhelmingly becoming disillusioned with the BJP after the announcement of the Citizenship Amendment Act,

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The communal violence in Bangladesh comes as a perfect opportunity for the BJP. The first incident in Bangladesh that triggered the countrywide communal violence occurred in Comilla, a district that borders Tripura.

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Hindutva groups in the state began to organise processions and mobilise people to attack mosques and Muslim-owned shops and homes across the state.

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The relations between Bangladesh and Tripura are so warm that the present Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb claims to have a mother-son connection with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

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However, the cancellation last week of a three-day Bangladesh International Film Festival and the anti-Muslim riots for ostensibly avenging the communal violence in Bangladesh point towards a crack in these strong relations.

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