Sylhet city ex-mayor Kamran dies from Covid-19
Former Sylhet mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran died of novel coronavirus at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka early yesterday.
The 69-year-old central executive committee member of Awami League left behind his wife, two sons, a daughter, and a host of relatives to mourn his death.
Family members said Kamran tested positive for Covid-19 on June 5. Two days later, he was flown to Dhaka from Sylhet as his health deteriorated.
His condition had improved after he was treated with plasma therapy on June 8. But his health worsened suddenly early yesterday. He breathed his last around 3:00am. 3:00am.
Later, the body of the veteran AL leader was brought to Sylhet by an ambulance. He was laid to eternal rest at the graveyard at the shrine of Hazrat Manik Pir in Sylhet around 3:00pm yesterday after two namaz-e-janazas were held.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at the death of the former Sylhet mayor.
In a condolence message, she said Kamran would remain alive in the hearts of the masses through his works.
She prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed sympathy to the bereaved family members.
The first namaz-e-janaza of Kamran was held at a mosque in Sylhet city's Chhararpar area after Johr prayers. Only a few family members and relatives of the deceased took part in it.
The second janaza was held at the shrine of Hazrat Manik Pir, which was attended by some politicians, including Sylhet Mayor Ariful Haque Choudhury, and senior officials of the district administration and Sylhet City Corporation.
Although the local administration and Kamran's political colleagues had planned to arrange the namaz-e-janazas following the Covid-19 health guidelines, several hundred people gathered in front of the graveyard before the funeral prayer.
According to family members, Kamran's wife Asma Kamran, general secretary of Sylhet City Mahila Awami League, also tested positive for Covid-19 on May 27. She is now undergoing treatment at her city home.
Kamran was born on January 1, 1951 at his ancestral home in Chhararpar of Sylhet city.
He was elected Sylhet municipality's youngest commissioner in 1972 when he was a college student. He served as a municipality commissioner for 15 years.
Kamran was elected general secretary of Sylhet town AL in 1989. He was re-elected to the post in 1992 and 1997.
After staying abroad for several years, he returned home and won an election to become Sylhet municipality chairman in 1995.
In 2002, the municipality was upgraded to a city corporation and Kamran was made the acting city mayor.
The following year, he was elected the first mayor of the city. In 2008, he won a second term in office despite contesting the polls from behind bars.
Kamran had led Sylhet city AL from 2002 to 2019 as its president.
The ruling party leader had survived a grenade attack on a meeting of its city unit at Hotel Gulshan of Taltola area on August 7, 2004. The attack had left many injured, said media reports.
He escaped another grenade attack on December 2, 2005, during the prize giving ceremony of a badminton tournament in Sylhet city's Tilagarh area. The grenade did not blast.
Both the attacks were carried out by banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad, according to confessions by some arrested militants.
Yesterday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Information Minister Hasan Mahmud, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam and Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh expressed deep sorrow at the death Kamran.
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