BHOLA, Jan 10, 2025 (BSS) – Farida Begum, mother of Martyr Md Arif who sacrificed his life during the July uprising,  still waits for her son’s phone call as he never went to sleep without talking to his mother.
 
"Every night, my son (Arif) did not sleep without talking to me on mobile phone. If my son did not talk to me for a day, he would not find peace. I would also be sad. My son used to say- "Mother, if you do not talk to me, I will not be able to sleep," said Farida with tearful eyes during a recent interview with BSS.
 
"The day before his death, I spoke to my son in the evening," she said, adding that my son was looking for me asking "Mom, have you completed your dinner?"
 
Arif also inquired about the study of his two younger sisters whether they were studying properly or not, she said, recalling the memories of her beloved son.
 
"This was the last conversation with my son Arif," the bereaved mother said, adding that the following day, a news came that Arif was shot dead while participating in the movement.
 
The 45-year-old Farida Begum could not believe the death news of her son. She still cannot forget about the last conversation with her son.
 
Although five months have passed since Arif’s death, Farida Begum became bewildered after losing her only son.
 
The 24-year-old Arif was the fourth among the six siblings and the only son of Yusuf Miah-Farida Begum couple.
 
Of Arif's two younger sisters, Sumaiya is in class 10 and Ripa is in class 7. The three elder sisters are married.
 
Due to the family's insolvency, Arif was forced to work at his cousin Sahabuddin's restaurant in Dhaka in early July last year. Arif was a second-year student of an Alim Madrasah located at Raichand area of Lalmohan upazila in Bhola.
 
Martyr Arif was the only son of 55-year-old Md Yusuf Miah of Raichand village in ward number-9 of Lord Hardinge union of Lalmohan upazila of Bhola. Yusuf Miah maintains his livelihood by working on other people's land as a farmer.
 
Martyr Md Arif's mother Farida Begum also said Arif was the only brother among five sisters and he called me every day to know about everyone's conditions at home.
 
As he cared a lot for his family, he had lots of dreams centering them, said Farida Begum, adding that Arif wanted to lead a decent life by completing his studies so that he could put smiles on faces of his family members.
 
"My son had many dreams about his parents. Arif used to tell me that he would build a 'pucca house' for us so that we (his parents) could stay comfortably. But, those dreams have been shattered," she said bursting into tears.
 
Farida demanded capital punishment of the killers of her son. The grief-stricken mother desires to see the justice of autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.
 
Recalling the fateful day, Arif’s father Yusuf Miah said Arif went to a vegetable wholesale shop in Jatrabari area in Dhaka for shopping for the hotel after Jummah prayer  on July 19.

Later, in the afternoon, his cousin Sahabuddin received a call on his mobile phone that Arif was shot in Jatrabari area, Arif’s grief stricken father Yusuf said as tears rolled down his cheeks.
 
Upon receiving the news, Sahabuddin immediately went there and saw Arif lying in the area being critically injured with a bullet wound, he added.
 
Sahabuddin quickly took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where the on duty doctor declared him dead, Yusuf wailed.
 
Arif’s weeping father went on saying that a bullet pierced his son's right eye and exited through the back of his head.
 
"The next day on Saturday, we took his body from DMCH and left for Bhola in an ambulance at night," he said, breaking into tears.
 
Later on Sunday, he was buried in the graveyard of the mosque adjacent to his village house after holding a namaz-e-janaza around 8am, Yusuf said.
 
He said: "The whole family had many hopes centering my son. Now, all those dreams will remain unfulfilled.”
 
Arif's father Yusuf demanded justice for those who indiscriminately shot and killed his son.
 
He said he received some financial assistance from Jamaat-e-Islami and some donations from the upazila administration.
 
“I can't work as day labourer anymore due to lack of strength in my body. My son Arif was the only ray of hope in our family but they (members of law enforcement agencies) killed him ."