Indian Media Accused of Misreporting Natore Incident as Communal Violence
A 60-year-old man was killed in a theft incident at a rest house near a cremation ground in Natore, Bangladesh. However, without proper verification, India’s largest news agency, Press Trust of India (PTI), portrayed the incident as communal violence, sparking criticism for its misreporting.
PTI published the story based on a video shared by ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharaman Das on his X (formerly Twitter) account. According to Bangladesh's Prime Minister’s Press Wing Fact Check, PTI failed to seek comments from any Bangladeshi authorities, Hindu leaders, or relatives of the victim before publishing the report.
After PTI's publication, the story was picked up by prominent Indian outlets, including Hindustan Times and The Indian Express. The incident, which involved the killing of a Hindu man, was portrayed in a way that allegedly attempted to mislead readers into believing it was a communal attack.
ISKCON Bangladesh executive committee member Hrishikesh Gauranga Das condemned the report, saying, "Labeling an incident as communal violence without proper verification is highly irresponsible. Such exaggerated reporting could harm communal harmony in Bangladesh." He clarified that the victim, Tarun Kumar Das, was not an ISKCON member and called for media outlets to verify information through local or official sources before publication.
Natore police recovered the body of Tarun Kumar Das, with his hands and feet bound, from the Mahashashan Ghat cremation ground in Bara Harishpur on Saturday. According to the police, Tarun Kumar may have been killed by thieves who restrained and suffocated him when he tried to raise an alarm. Several brass plates were reported stolen from the rest house within the cremation ground.
Local religious leaders stated that the victim had been mentally unwell and had been living at the cremation ground for some time. Natore Sadar Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Mahbubur Rahman said, "Preliminary evidence suggests that some drug addicts attempting to steal items may have caused the incident. All possible motives for the murder are being investigated."
Satyanarayan Roy Tipu, general secretary of the cremation ground committee, said, "Tarun Kumar was not a member of the committee nor a priest or caretaker. He appeared to be somewhat mentally unstable. We do not believe there is any communal aspect to this incident."
The misrepresentation of the incident by Indian media has drawn widespread criticism for creating unwarranted communal tensions.
