Communal clashes broke out on January 10 in Unakoti district’s Saidarpar village, Tripura, over a dispute about collecting temple donations, quickly turning violent.

Shops, houses and a mosque were damaged and several people, including police, were injured. Ten arrests were made, prohibitory orders imposed and the internet suspended as security forces restored order.

In the above context, an image is being widely shared on social media in which a car is seen burning.

The image is shared with a caption suggesting that the image is of communal violence in Tripura.

A social media user shared the image with a caption that reads, “According to the report, communal violence broke out in Tripura, and the reason behind it is shocking. A group linked to so-called religious protection outfits was collecting donations for a fair. When they demanded money from a youth belonging to another community and he refused, the self-appointed custodians of religion turned aggressive. An argument followed and soon escalated into violence. There was vandalism, arson and damage to a religious site, leaving around six people injured. Police were deployed to control the situation, and BNSS Section 163 was imposed in the area. How can we lecture Bangladesh when we fail to stop such violence in our own country? The government must send a clear message by punishing communal elements strictly, without any discrimination.” (Translated from Hindi)

SouthCheck found that the claim is misleading. The viral image is old.

On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same image was shared by National Herald on January 3, 2022.

The report associated with the image suggests that a fact-finding report on the October 2021 Tripura riots found the BJP-led State government failed to act on warnings and allowed communal tensions to rise by permitting politically charged rallies. It said mosques, shops and homes were damaged, police sided with rioters and authorities took action against journalists rather than perpetrators.

We further found that the same image was also shared by News 18 on September 8, 2021.

According to the report, after the Bihar poll victory celebrations, CPI(M) leaders in Tripura alleged BJP supporters torched and vandalised several party offices, including the sub-divisional office at Manikbhander and damaged furniture and flags, calling it an attack on democracy and demanding arrests.

We found that the incident was also reported by Live Law with the same information.

Therefore, we conclude that the claim is misleading.