On July 9, scrap trader Lal Chand, also known as Sohag, was brutally murdered in Mitford. Following this incident, several Indian media outlets and social media users have circulated the incident with a communal angle, claiming that Lal Chand alias Sohag was a follower of the Hindu religion.
Reports published in Indian media making such claims: NDTV, India Times, India Tv News, India Today, WION, News18, TV9 Bangla, ABP Live, Vaskar, Zee News, Ntv Telugu, ETV Bharat, One India, Republic World, Kolkata Tv, Kolkata 24*7, Jhoom News, Live Hindustan, Hindu Post, NT News, Jagran, News24 Online, Panchjanya, Jansatta, Punjabkesari।
Additionally, a claim was circulated on X stating that Hindu businessman Sohag was killed by Jamaat activists over alleged blasphemy. See the posts on X spreading this claim: here.
Fact Check
According to an investigation by the Rumor Scanner team, Lal Chand alias Sohag, a scrap trader who was brutally murdered in Mitford on July 9, was not a follower of the Hindu religion, as claimed, but was in fact a Muslim along with his entire family.
In this regard, a report titled “Sohag laid to rest beside his mother’s grave in Barguna”, published on July 12 on the website of the mainstream media outlet The Daily Star states that Sohag was buried on July 11 beside his mother’s grave in Islampur of Dhalua Union in Barguna. His mother’s name was Aleya Begum, father’s name was Ayub Ali. One of his sisters is named Fatema, and his wife is Lucky Begum. The same information was also found in a report published on the website of the mainstream media outlet BanglaVision.
According to a report published on the website of the mainstream media outlet Jugantor, Sohag’s daughter’s name is Sohana.
Additionally, a report from the mainstream news outlet Somoy News states that Sohag’s son’s name is Sohan. In another report published on July 12 by the online news portal RisingBD, it was mentioned that Sohag’s funeral prayer (janaza) was held in a small gathering hurriedly around 10 AM on July 11.
In summary, based on the names of deceased businessman Lal Chand alias Sohag and his family members, it is evident that they are all Muslims. Moreover, a funeral prayer (janaza) was held before Sohag’s burial, and he was laid to rest next to his mother Aleya Begum’s grave following Islamic rituals. This confirms that Sohag was a Muslim and came from a Muslim family.
Additionally, although some claims circulated on X suggested that Sohag, a Hindu businessman, was killed by Jamaat members for alleged religious defamation, a report from the mainstream media Prothom Alo indicates that leaders and activists of Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal were involved in the incident. According to investigators and local sources, extortion appears to be the primary motive behind the killing. Police sources also mentioned that Lal Chand had past affiliations with Jubo Dal.
Conclusion
Lal Chand alias Sohag, a scrap businessman who was brutally murdered on July 9 in Mitford, was a follower of Islam. However, Indian media falsely claimed that he was a Hindu — which is false.
Sources
- The Daily Star – Sohag laid to rest beside his mother’s grave in Barguna
