Indian Media Misidentify Scrap Trader Brutally Killed in Bangladesh as Hindu

The scrap dealer, who was lynched over "extortion-related disputes", was from the Muslim community.

Several social media handles shared a CCTV clip claiming that it showed a Hindu scrap dealer named Lal Chand alias Sohag, who was brutally murdered by a mob around the Mitford Hospital area in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Those sharing have spread the story with a communal perspective. Apart from social media users, Indian media outlets such as India Today, NDTV, India TV, Dainik Bhaskar English, and Wion also shared this story.

(Archives of claims made by social media users can be found here, here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• Bangladesh interim government's fact-check unit and media reports noted that the religion of the deceased was Islam and not Hinduism, as claimed by the Indian news outlets.

What we found: At first, we went through several reports of the Bangladesh news outlets. None of the reports mentioned the religious identity of the deceased.

• We came across a report by Prothomalo from 12 July. The report noted the name of the victim as "Lal Chand Mia alias Md Sohag."

• Although, it did not outrightly mention his religion, 'Md' is usually short for Muhammad, which is a Muslim name.

• In our keyword searches about this case, we came across a Daily Star report from 12 July which noted that Sohag was buried next to his mother’s grave in Islampur of Dhalua Union in Barguna.

• The report noted the names of his family which were as follows: Late Aleya Begum (mother), Late Ayub Ali (father), Lucky Begum (spouse) and Fatema (sister).

• The Quint's WebQoof team also spoke with a local journalist who confirmed that the deceased was indeed a Muslim.

Chief Adviser's Press Wing Facts denies claim: Interim government's fact-check unit took to their Facebook page and mentioned that the Indian media outlets "falsely identified" the victim, as a Hindu.

What happened to Sohag?: As per Prothomalo, the gruesome killing was allegedly carried out by members of the Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal.

• The police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) had made several arrests in the matter including, a Jubo Dal leader named Mahmudul Hasan alias Moin and another suspect named Tariq Rahman alias Robin.

• The investigation suggests the motive behind the killing was extortion-related disputes. Family members of the deceased also noted extortion from such forces, reported the Daily Star.

• The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is affiliated with the Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal, condemned the killing and took action by expelling some of the accused from their respective organisations.

• None of the news reports or statements by the police mentioned a communal matter or the deceased's identity as a Hindu.

Conclusion: Indian media outlets misidentified a Muslim scrap trader, who was beaten to death in public in Dhaka, as a Hindu.

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