Khokon, disfigured in July Uprising, seeks nomination for Sherpur-2 as NCP candidate
Khokon Chandra Barman, the man whose face was severely disfigured by police shotgun fire during the 2024 July Uprising, has filed nomination to contest the national election from Sherpur-2 (Nakla-Nalitabari) as a candidate of the National Citizen Party (NCP).
This was announced on Friday (14 November) night via the official NCP Facebook page in a post captioned, "Khokon Bhai, a July-injured veteran and central committee member of the NCP, has filed his nomination for Sherpur-2."
Khokon, a professional driver, was shot on 5 August 2024 in front of the Jatrabari Police Station in Dhaka.
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Videos from the incident show police firing at close range. Khokon said the officer deliberately targeted his face.
"I fell there. People thought I was dead. But I wasn't. I raised my hands for help. Some people rushed towards me and lifted me up," he told TBS last year.
His elder brother, Khoka Chandra Barman, shared a video taken by another protester moments after the shooting. The footage shows Khokon's face, disfigured and bloodied, as protesters helped him to his feet.
"It was as if his face was obliterated by the bullet," Khoka said. Before losing consciousness, Khokon unlocked his phone and handed it to fellow protesters so they could inform his family. He was subsequently taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Khokon's father, Kinza Chandra Barman, supplies vegetables, fish, and meat to a hospital in Dhaka, while his mother, Rina Rani Das, works as a domestic helper. His younger brother, Shubho, is in the fourth grade.
Khokon studied up to the fifth grade. At the time of the shooting, both brothers worked as drivers in the same company. Khokon lived in Jatrabari, while Khoka resided with the family in the Sat Tala slum of Mohakhali.
Currently, Khokon is receiving the second phase of facial reconstruction treatment in Moscow. Earlier in February, the government decided to send him to Russia for advanced treatment.
The University Clinic of MV Lomonosov Hospital in Moscow agreed to undertake the complex reconstruction after a long evaluation of his injuries.
Once treatment is completed, Khokon is expected to return to Bangladesh aiming to participate in the election campaign.
In the Sherpur-2 constituency, the BNP has nominated Mohammad Fahim Chowdhury, while Jamaat has nominated Golam Kibria.
