Tripura, August 17: A tense situation has gripped Kailasahar’s Tilabazar area after pork meat wrapped in a plastic bag, along with a letter, was found inside the historic Tilabazar Jama Masjid on Sunday evening.
The mosque, over a hundred years old and located under Irani Police Station, is regularly frequented by local Muslims for daily prayers. Tilabazar and its adjoining areas are predominantly Muslim, with nearly 90 percent of the population belonging to the community.
According to reports, the Imam of the mosque first noticed a suspicious packet lying on the floor before evening prayers. Upon opening it with local residents, pork meat and a handwritten letter were discovered. The contents of the letter claimed that “Tripura was a Hindu state” and further alleged that the mosque land originally belonged to “Gour Govinda’s temple,” demanding that the mosque be demolished.
The incident immediately drew large crowds. Gournagar Block Vice Chairman Mohammad Badruzzaman, Tripura Waqf Board Chairman and former MLA Mofswar Ali, along with Tilabazar Gram Panchayat Pradhan Ahiduzzaman and other community leaders, rushed to the spot.
Heavy police deployment, including TSR personnel, was ordered. Irani Police Station OC Biraj Debbarma, SDPO Kailasahar Jayanta Karmakar, Additional SP Unakoti L. Darlong, and Deputy Magistrate Mati Lal Debbarma were present at the site. Later in the evening, Unakoti district’s Acting SP Abhinash Rai also reached the mosque.
Leaders Call for Calm, Demand Arrests
Badruzzaman said, “This is a deliberate attempt to create mistrust between communities. Similar incidents have taken place earlier — donation boxes were stolen from Konokpur and Gournagar mosques, and pork meat was placed inside a mosque in Udaipur, where police later arrested an RSS worker. We urge everyone to remain vigilant and not fall prey to provocation. At the same time, I call upon police to identify and punish those behind this conspiracy.”
Waqf Board Chairman Mofswar Ali expressed deep anguish: “It is extremely painful that such a heinous act has been carried out inside a mosque that has stood for more than a century. These are attempts by miscreants to disturb communal harmony in Kailasahar. I appeal to the youth not to spread inflammatory posts or go live on social media. The culprits must be identified and arrested immediately so that peace is not disturbed.”
Community Response
By evening, local youths cleaned the mosque floor with water and bleaching powder. Security remained tight across Kailasahar subdivision as a precautionary measure.
The incident has sparked widespread concern, with leaders urging people of all faiths to maintain peace and unity. Police have launched an investigation to trace those behind the a
