An elderly man named Mir Ruhul Amin committed suicide by lying beneath a moving train at Arani Railway Station in Bagha Upazila of Rajshahi last Monday. Following his death, a narrative began circulating on Facebook claiming that his wife had passed away eight months earlier and that his two sons and two daughters, after temporarily taking care of him, refused to keep him any longer. According to the viral story, this led to frequent arguments, including one night when he was allegedly forced to sleep outside because his sons didn’t open the door. On the morning of his death, it was alleged that he had a severe altercation with his daughters-in-law, who then drove him out of the house, and his sons reportedly threw his belongings into the yard. The story claimed he had been sitting at the station since early morning without eating, and in the afternoon, he lay down in front of a moving train. However, a fact-check by FactWatch found the entire narrative to be fabricated. His wife is still alive, and contrary to the claims on social media, he had only two children.

FactWatch came across this viral claim while reviewing a report by Prothom Alo published on Tuesday, April 16, titled “Rajshahi Onion Farmer’s Suicide: Netizens Blame Family, Reality is Different.” The report confirmed that the elderly man was Mir Ruhul Amin, an onion farmer from Majhpara Bausa village in Bagha Upazila, Rajshahi. A local correspondent of Prothom Alo visited the village and confirmed that Mir Ruhul Amin’s wife, Mariam, is alive.

According to the report, although social media posts claimed he had two sons and two daughters, in reality, he had only one son and one daughter. His daughter was married about 20–22 years ago and lives with her husband in Ishwardi, while his son lives in Dhaka with his wife and works at a private company with a modest salary.

The same report quoted Mir Mofakkar Hossain, the deceased's nephew, who stated that Ruhul Amin had leased 1 bigha and 5 kathas of land for onion farming and had taken loans for it. It is believed that he may have borrowed money from local traders and lenders to pay off the loan installments. Due to the low market price of onions, he was likely burdened with financial stress, which might have led to his suicide.

Officer-in-Charge Ziaur Rahman of Ishwardi GRP Police Station was also quoted in the report, saying that investigations revealed Ruhul Amin had taken loans from an NGO to cultivate onions, but the harvest was poor. This led to severe frustration. He had reportedly become withdrawn, avoided conversations, and was also suffering from physical ailments. These combined factors might have driven him to take his own life.

Regarding the viral Facebook story, his son Mir Moshiur Rahman told Jugantor that many individuals had posted misleading content about his father on social media, falsely accusing the daughters-in-law of abuse and claiming that the daughter had abandoned him. He clarified that his parents had only two children. His elder sister, Mousumi Akter, got married two decades ago and lives with her in-laws in Ishwardi, while he himself lives in Dhaka with his wife due to work. He urged people to stop spreading misinformation and instead share the actual facts. Only his parents lived at home.

Ashraf Ali, former chairman of Bausa Union, told the same newspaper that Ruhul Amin came from a respected local family and was known to be a good person. He confirmed that Ruhul Amin had one son and one daughter; the daughter lives with her in-laws, and the son lives in Dhaka due to employment. He stated that, to his knowledge, the children did look after their parents. Ruhul Amin had long suffered from back and leg pain, which is common with age. He also mentioned that Ruhul Amin was intellectually challenged.

Multiple other national media outlets corroborated the same findings regarding Mir Ruhul Amin’s death. Based on these consistent reports, it is confirmed that the viral story surrounding his suicide is entirely false. FactWatch has determined the circulated narrative to be fabricated.