By Srijit Das
A set of four grisly images showing the corpses of three members of a Hindu family in Bangladesh who were killed by a relative, are being shared by right-wing Indian accounts with a false and communal claim that the accused is a Muslim.
BOOM reached out to Sirajganj SP Arifur Rahman Mondol who confirmed that there is no communal angle to the incident. The SP said that the killings were committed by one Rajib Bhoumik, nephew of the victim Bikash Sarkar, due to financial dispute.
The collage is being shared with a Hindi caption that translates to, "Bangladesh: Islamists have killed the entire family of Hindu leader Vikas Sarkar in Sirajganj. Bikash Sarkar, his wife Swarna Sarkar and daughter Parmita Sarkar Tushi have been murdered in their house in Battala in Tarash Upazila of Sirajganj district. Feedback can also be given in India!!"
(Original Text in Hindi: बांग्लादेश: सिराजगंजमें इस्लामवादियों ने हिंदू नेता विकास सरकारके पूरे परिवार की हत्या कर दी है।बिकाश सरकार, उनकी पत्नी स्वर्णा सरकार और बेटी परमिता सरकार तुशी की सिराजगंज जिले के तराश उपजिला के बट्टाला स्थित उनके घर में हत्या कर दी गई है। प्रतिकृया भारत मे भि दिया जासकता है पर!!) Click here to view an archive of the post.
Another X handle 'Izlamic Terrorist' also posted the photos with the caption, "In Bangladesh, three members of the same Hindu family were murdered by Islamists by beheading them at home. This is Islam...?" Click here to view an archive of the post.
Due to the graphic nature of the pictures, BOOM has decided not to include the posts in the story.
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Fact Check
BOOM ran a keyword search in Bengali using the names of the victims mentioned in the claims and found several Bangladeshi news reports that covered the incident.
The news articles stated that Bangladesh police arrested Bikash's nephew Rajib Bhoumik in connection with the brutal triple murder case in Tarash upazila, Sirajganj, Bangladesh. The reports also cited comments of police officials who stated that Rajib claimed to have committed the murders due to monetary disputes.
According to a report by The Daily Star, dated January 31, 2024, Superintendent of Police in Sirajganj, Arifur Rahman Mondol, mentioned in a press briefing that Rajib, who has been arrested, confessed to the murder during initial questioning. As per Rajib's confession, the motive behind the murder was his inability to repay a loan of Tk 35 lakh to Bikash.
The report also stated that according to the Superintendent of Police, Rajib's initial intention was to only kill Bikash.
The Daily Star quoted Sirajganj SP Arifur Rahman Mondol as saying, "However, since Bikash wasn't home, he killed Swarna and Paromita first. When Bikash returned home after just 10 minutes, Rajib killed him too."
We also found the press briefing by the Sirajganj SP regarding the arrest of Rajib Bhoumik on Channel i News' official YouTube channel.
BOOM also reached out to Sirajganj SP Arifur Rahman Mondol for additional confirmation. The SP denied the communal allegations and confirmed that both the victims and the perpetrator belong to the same community.
Mondol told BOOM, "These claims are false. There is no communal angle to the incident; both the victims and the perpetrator belong to the Hindu community. The murders occurred because of a financial dispute between an uncle and his nephew."
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