Former Sylhet mayor Kamran dies with Covid-19

Former Sylhet city mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran died with Covid-19 early today. He was 69.

He breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka at 3:00am, his son Arman Ahmed Shiplu told The Daily Star.

Kamran, a member of the central executive committee of Awami League, was flown to CMH from Sylhet on June 7 after his physical condition deteriorated after being infected with Covid-19.

He had been undergoing treatment at the hospital since then.

Kamran's personal secretary Badrul Islam told our Sylhet correspondent that his physical condition had improved after taking plasma therapy. But, his condition worsened suddenly last night, he added.

He was diagnosed with coronavirus in a lab test at Osmani Medical College in Sylhet on June 5.

His wife Asma Kamran, general secretary of Sylhet city unit of Mahila Awami League, also tested positive for Covid-19 on May 27. She is undergoing treatment at home.

Kamran's body will be taken to Sylhet in an ambulance. He will be buried near his parent's graves at the graveyard of the Shrine of Manik Pir.

His first namaz-e-janaza will be held at the local mosque of Chhararpar where only 25 members from his family will take part. The second janaza will be held at the Shrine of Manik Pir, where only some political persons and administrative persons will attend.

His namaz-e-janaza will be held following the protocol of infectious diseases, said Asad Uddin Ahmed, former general secretary of AL Sylhet city unit.

Kamran, the first mayor of Sylhet City Corporation, led Sylhet Metropolitan Awami League for a long time.

He was born on January 1, 1951 at his ancestral home in Chhararpar area of Sylhet city.

Kamran was elected as the youngest commissioner of Sylhet municipality in 1972 when he was a college student.

Since then, he served as municipality commissioner for 15 years and after living abroad for a couple of years, he again participated in municipality election in 1995 and become the municipal chairman.

Later in 2002, the municipality was upgraded to a city and Kamran became acting mayor of the city.

In 2003, he was elected as first mayor of the city and was re-elected mayor in 2008. He was in jail and served till 2013.

Lifelong Awami League activist, Kamran was elected as the general secretary of Sylhet town unit of Awami League in 1989. Later, he was re-elected for the post in 1992 and 1997.

In 2002, he was elected as the president of the city unit of Awami League which he carried out till December 2019. He was also the central executive committee member of Awami League.