India TV Fact Check: In the age of social media and the internet, misinformation can spread rapidly and widely. False information can be presented in a convincing manner, leading even knowledgeable individuals to be deceived. The consequences of spreading false information can be significant. Recently, a murder case has been circulating on the internet, with many social media users, including Vivek Singh, sharing it without verifying the facts. However, the truth behind the case differs from what has been portrayed on social media. While it is true that three individuals were murdered, the motive behind the killings and the identity of the perpetrator is different from what has been claimed online.
What is going viral?
Facebook user Vivek Singh shared a post on January 31, 2024, stating: "A Hindu family of three members was found beheaded in their own home. The deceased are: Vikas Sarkar (45), his wife Swarna Rani Sarkar (40), and daughter Paramita Sarkar Tushi (15). Have you heard any international uproar? Or in the Indian media?
For the past several years, thousands of Hindus have been killed in Bangladesh annually, and instead of catching the culprits, the local government there closes the case by calling the killings suicides. On the one hand, if any injustice is done to a Muslim in any country, the entire global Muslim community stands up for their people in the name of religion.
But in our two neighbouring countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh, millions of Hindus have been killed so far, every day injustices and rapes of daughters and daughters-in-law are being committed against Hindus, yet we are silent because we have taken Gandhi Ji's story of the three monkeys too much to heart: 'See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.' Anyway, the decision is yours."
India TV did fact check
When India TV fact-checked this viral post, the truth turned out to be something else. A news article related to this incident was published on January 31, 2024, on the Bangladeshi news website The Daily Star. The article stated, "The police have arrested the main suspect of the triple murder case in Sirajganj district. The bodies of the victims Paramita Sarkar Tushi and her parents (Vikas Sarkar and Swarna Rani Sarkar) were recovered from their home."
According to a report by The Daily Star, the arrested individual, Rajiv Bhowmik, is a relative of Vikas. Vikas and his family were killed due to a money dispute with Rajiv. Sirajganj Superintendent of Police Arifur Rahman Mandal has stated to the media that Rajiv, the accused, has been apprehended and confessed to the crime during interrogation. According to his confession, the motive behind the murders was a financial transaction gone wrong, as Rajiv was unable to repay Vikas's loan of Rs 35 lakh.
What came out in India TV Fact Check
On social media, claims are being made that this homicide in Bangladesh was committed by Muslims against Hindus. It is also being said that such cases are often dismissed by the police as suicides, but in this case, this claim turned out to be false. The murder of this family was reported by the deceased's relatives, and the motive behind this murder was related to financial transactions. The police have arrested the suspect. During India TV's fact-checking process, the claim made in the post was found to be misleading and incorrect.
