Misinformation by NDTV, Kannada Prabha, Udayavani: Trader killed in Bangladesh was Muslim, not Hindu
Fact check
New Delhi/Dhaka: A recent case of mob lynching in Bangladesh has ignited a wave of misinformation in Indian media, with several major outlets, including NDTV, India Today, Wion, News 24 Digital, Kannada Prabha, and Udayavani, incorrectly reporting that the victim was a Hindu trader. This has now been fact-checked and refuted by independent journalist and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, who clarified that the lynched trader was in fact a Muslim man named Mohammed Sohag, alias Lal Chand Mia.
The misinformation
On July 9, a gruesome video surfaced from Dhaka, Bangladesh, showing a man being lynched in broad daylight near Mitford Hospital. Reports confirmed that the attackers bludgeoned the victim with concrete slabs and later danced on his dead body, an act that has sparked mass outrage in Bangladesh.
However, multiple prominent Indian media houses misreported the victim's identity, labeling him a Hindu trader and framing the killing as a case of religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus in Bangladesh.
NDTV, in its syndicated content, stated: “Trader Lynched In Bangladesh, Attackers Dance On His Body. Police have arrested 7 people in connection with the case… following the gruesome murder of Lal Chand alias Sohag…”
Kannada Prabha (Front Page Headline): “ಬಾಂಗ್ಲಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂದೂ ಹತ್ಯೆಗೈದು ಶವದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕುಣಿದು ವಿಕೃತಿ – ಹಿಂದೂಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ ಮತಾಂಧರ ದೌರ್ಜನ್ಯ” (Translation: Hindu killed in Bangladesh, attackers dance on corpse – Communal atrocities on Hindus continue)
Udayavani also reported: “ಬಾಂಗ್ಲಾದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂದೂ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಯ ಥಳಿಸಿ ಹತ್ಯೆ!” (Translation: Hindu trader beaten to death in Bangladesh!)
These narratives were shared widely on social media, with several hashtags trending among right-wing handles.
The truth: Victim was a Muslim trader
Fact-checker Mohammed Zubair took to X (formerly Twitter) to set the record straight: “Hello @ndtv, The name of the trader lynched in Bangladesh is Mohammed Sohag alias Lal Chand Mia. Not a Hindu as you claim.” He also shared a screenshot from News24 Live, a Bangladeshi media outlet, which clearly stated the deceased businessman's name as Chand Mia alias Sohag.
The FIR in the case was lodged by Manzura Begum, the sister of the deceased, and it names 19 accused. Police have so far arrested seven individuals, and at least two illegal firearms have been recovered during raids.
Bangladeshi authorities and local reports suggest that the lynching was not religiously motivated but stemmed from a business-related feud, possibly with political undertones given the charged pre-election environment in the country.
This episode is yet another chapter in a dangerous trend in Indian media where unverified communal angles are inserted into criminal or political incidents in neighboring countries, particularly Bangladesh and Pakistan, to feed a certain narrative.
The false reports by NDTV, Kannada Prabha, and Udayavani all of which failed to verify the victim’s religious identity, raise concerns about editorial standards and sensationalism in mainstream Indian newsrooms.
While NDTV attributed its article to a syndicated news feed, this does not absolve it of editorial responsibility. Kannada Prabha went a step further by explicitly accusing “religious fanatics” and linking the act to anti-Hindu hate crimes, without factual basis. Udayavani followed suit with similar communal framing.
The man lynched in Bangladesh was Mohammed Sohag, a Muslim trader, not a Hindu, as falsely claimed by several Indian media outlets. The motive behind his murder appears to be business and political rivalry, not a communal attack.
Hello @ndtv, The name of the trader lynched in Bangladesh is Mohammed Sohag alias Lal Chand Mia. Not a Hindu as you claim. https://t.co/rDN78rgpLR pic.twitter.com/NvbGZhRUti
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 13, 2025
Hello @news24tvchannel, The name of the trader lynched in Bangladesh is Mohammed Sohag alias Lal Chand Mia. Not a Hindu as you claimed. pic.twitter.com/Gt6uvQBwT6
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 14, 2025
Nepal Correspondence, a pro-Awami League and pro-Indian propaganda account, falsely portrayed the Muslim murder victim and scrap trader Lal Chand Mia alias Sohag as Hindu.
— Shohanur Rahman (@Sohan_RSB) July 13, 2025
Later, Indian media repeated the same false claim. Absolutely pathetic reporting. pic.twitter.com/KlN9Nw16qZ
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Kasaragod: ED books Kunhahmed Musliyar Memorial Trust for FCRA violation
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has registered a forex violation case against a Kerala-based charitable organisation for receiving Rs 220 crore from abroad in alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The investigation pertains to Kunhahmed Musliyar Memorial Trust located in Kasargod and its chairman Ibrahim Ahmad Ali, an NRI.
Searches were conducted under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) at two locations in Kasargod on Thursday in connection with the case, the ED said in a statement.
The Trust, according to the ED, received more than Rs 220 crore since 2021 from Ibrahim Ahmad Ali, which was reflected in the books of accounts as "unsecured" loans.
However, no loan agreement, interest rate terms, or repayment schedule were available, and no repayment had been made till date, the probe agency said.
The probe found that these funds were received by Ali from a UAE company named Universal Lubricants LLC.
In the absence of supporting documents and in view of the clarification given under a section of the FCRA, the said loan prima facie qualified as "foreign contribution" under FCRA, the statement said.
According to the ED, the Trust is "not registered" under the FCRA and does not possess the "mandatory permission" or a designated FCRA bank account to receive foreign contributions.
It was found that a part of these foreign contributions was "utilised" for the purchase of agricultural land in India, in violation of the existing regulations.
The search action found that the Trust received Rs 2.49 crore in "cash" from Ali in violation of FEMA provisions.
"During the search, incriminating documents, ledger accounts showing unsecured loans of Rs 220 crore, the cash book of the Trust, and a hard disk containing financial data were seized," the ED said.
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