Mohammad Shariful Islam, 38, of North Cheranga village in Jaldhaka upazila of Nilphamari, moved to Cumilla about eight months ago in search of work. He had brought his wife Beauty Banu and his two daughters with him.
The family lived in a rented house in Mathapushkarni area of Ward No. 12. 23 in Cumilla city.
Shariful earned his living by driving a battery-powered rickshaw. After paying daily fare to the vehicle owner, he used to support his family with whatever income was left.
Shariful, the sole breadwinner of the family, was murdered after a minor dispute while watching a FIFA World Cup football match on television.
The incident occurred after he became involved in an argument with several local youths during the Argentina-Egypt match. The youths allegedly assaulted him and he died from his injuries.
The attack took place at Mohsin Mia’s shop in Dhanpur of Durgapur Union under Adarsh Sadar Upazila at around 12 o’clock on Tuesday night.
According to local residents and witnesses, the people who attacked the auto-rickshaw driver were Argentine supporters. Although Shariful supported Egypt during Tuesday night’s match, he was primarily a Brazil supporter.
Shariful’s family is inconsolable after the incident. His wife Beauty Bano is fainting again and again in grief.
Crying at her rented house on Wednesday afternoon, she said, “How can people kill someone during a football match? I have two daughters. Who will they call father now? My two daughters have been orphaned. I want the harshest punishment for those who killed my husband. I am a poor and helpless woman. How will I raise my two daughters now? My entire family has been destroyed.”
Shariful’s two daughters were studying in Nilphamari before the family moved to Cumilla. His elder daughter was in sixth grade, while the younger one was in fifth grade. Shariful had planned to enroll him in a school in Cumilla, but he could no longer fulfill that dream.
After receiving the news, Shariful’s relatives, including his father-in-law Matiur Rahman, mother-in-law Noor Banu and brother Saiful Islam, traveled from Nilphamari to Cumilla.
The post-mortem of Shariful’s body was completed at Cumilla Medical College Hospital on Wednesday. Police handed over the body to the family members in the afternoon.
However, as of 5:00 pm on Wednesday, no case had been registered at the Kamila Kotwali Model Police Station, and the police had not detained anyone in connection with the murder.
Sub-inspector Shankar Kanti Das, in-charge of Cantonment police post under Kotwali Model Police Station, visited the spot on Tuesday night.
Speaking to Prothom Alo on Wednesday, he said the police have handed over the body to the family.
“The family members said they were deciding among themselves who would file the case as the complainant. Police are trying to arrest those involved in the incident,” he said.
Another auto-rickshaw driver witnessed the incident and accompanied Shariful to the hospital. He is also from Nilphamari.
On condition of anonymity, he said that they were all watching the match at Mohsin Mia’s tea shop, where many people had gathered.
He said that when Messi missed a penalty early in the match, Shariful told an Argentina supporter, “Your father couldn’t score a goal.”
According to him, that comment started the debate. After this, many people beat up Shariful at the spot. Since the attackers were local residents, Shariful later went to a nearby mess for safety, but the attackers followed him there and attacked him again.
At last Shariful fell on the ground in front of the tea stall. They took him to the hospital, where the doctor declared him dead.
Mohsin Mia’s tea shop is closed after the incident. On Wednesday morning, journalists called the mobile phones of Mohsin Mia and his son Ariful Islam several times, but no one answered.
Both the phones got switched off after noon. Local residents said that two youths, identified as the main instigators of the attack, had gone into hiding.
Local sources also alleged that their families were trying to settle the matter by offering money to Shariful’s family.
Shariful’s father-in-law Matiur Rehman said, “I got a call last night asking me to come to Kamilla quickly because my son-in-law is ill. We immediately reached Kamilla.”
He said, “When we reached, we found Shariful’s body. What kind of society and country is this? How can people kill a person over an argument during a football match? Now how will my daughter survive with her two daughters? We want the authorities to immediately arrest those involved and ensure justice.”
Tauhidul Anwar, officer-in-charge of the Kotwali Model Police Station, told Prothom Alo that the police had initially learned that the people involved were local youths.
He said that an argument broke out after the Argentina-Egypt match, during which he punched Shariful in the head. They later took him to the hospital, where a doctor declared him dead. He said that the police are trying to arrest the people involved in the incident.