A man who sustained gunshot wounds during the July uprising in Dhaka’s Kazipara area has died while undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in the capital's Agargaon.
The body of Khalil Khan, 35, was brought back to his native village on Thursday, a day after he breathed his last at the hospital, and was laid to rest following a namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer).
Khalil, a carpenter by profession, was the son of the late Kashem Khan and a resident of Ghatokarchar village in Babuganj upazila under Barisal.
His family claims he died due to a lack of adequate medical care.
Nargis Begum, Khalil’s wife, said the couple lived in Dhaka with their only son.
Khalil worked as a mason, while she was employed at a garment factory.
On July 20, during the July uprising, police reportedly shot Khalil twice in the leg in Kazipara.
Fearing persecution, the family said they sought medical care for him in secret.
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, Khalil was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on August 5.
Doctors managed to remove one bullet, but the other remained lodged in his leg.
On May 10, his condition worsened, and he was transferred to the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, where he would die five days later.
Expressing her grief, his mother, Payera Begum, said: “His wife did everything she could. I am a widow; he was my only support. Maybe he would have survived if he had received better treatment.”
Family members alleged that neither the state nor any of the organizers of the movement came forward to assist with Khalil’s medical expenses or treatment.
Babuganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Faruk Ahmed, who attended Khalil’s funeral, said Khalil was among 21 individuals from Babuganj injured during the July uprising and had been categorized as “C category” victims.
On Tuesday, each of them received Tk1 lakh in compensation.
As Khalil was unwell, the cheque was handed to his wife, Nargis Begum, he added.