Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran leaves behind a rich political legacy

Having served the people as a public representative since the age of 22, Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran rose to his rank coming from humble beginnings and stood by his people in their thick and thin.

A rich political career came to an end as the former president of the Awami League’s Sylhet Metropolitan chapter breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital at the age of 69 on Monday.

His colleagues in politics said the love for him in the hearts of people would not ‘fade’.

“He was a leader to the poor. His work involved activities for those at the grassroots level. Though he was a public representative, he had acquaintances with people of all levels, which made him a leader of the people,” said Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel, organising secretary of the central Awami League.

The demise of this “irreplaceable servant” of the people was a big loss for the political arena of Sylhet, he added.

Born in Sylhet in 1951, Kamran was the youngest public face then and held his position as ward commissioner of Sylhet Municipality for 15 straight years.

He stood beside his people in their thick and thin since he was a student. People wanted him to lead them from an early age. He was elected a ward commissioner of Sylhet Municipality for the first time in 1973, while he was a student at the age of 22.

Kamran could not participate in the election once as he was abroad, but was elected the municipal chairman in 1995.

Kamran was nominated to helm it when the municipality was upgraded to a city corporation in 2002. That year, he won the maiden election to Sylhet City Corporation.

He served as general secretary of the Sylhet town unit of Awami League since 1989 before becoming president of the party’s Sylhet city chapter in 2002. Kamran continued in this role for 14 years.

Being a government employee, Kamran’s father did not see eye to eye with his son getting involved in politics. Yet seeing how people were drawn to Kamran, he did not ask him to refrain from it either, his relatives said.

He began his studies at Zindabazar’s Durgakumar Pathshala and went on to complete his SSC from Government Pilot High School and HSC from MC College before heeding people’s call and becoming commissioner. He continued his honours studies at the same college during this time.

According to leaders in Sylhet, he was treated differently at his college being in such a position. He would often have bunk classes to attend to his public duties and hence he could not continue studying in MC College, which was strict on pupils’ attendance. Later, he graduated with honours from Madan Mohan College in 1976.

Every footstep of Kamran is marked with success entailing his rise from the role of ward commissioner to the mayor, the highest executive post of Sylhet City Corporation.

Like many other politicians, he was arrested during the military-controlled caretaker government in 2007-8. But being at the peak of his popularity, he won the mayoral elections from jail by massive margins in 2008.

In 2013, he lost the mayoral post to BNP candidate Ariful Haque Chowdhury. His last defeat in the polls came in 2018.

Kamran entered the Awami League under the guidance of former Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad, and was later inducted into the central executive committee in 2016.

The formation of a new committee in 2019 brought a new face in his role. But his political activities did not end there as he continued providing support to people connected to the party and was seen in all party programmes.

Awami League’s former Organising Secretary Mezbahuddin Siraj, who was general secretary in two stints with Kamran at the helm of Sylhet Metropolitan chapter, told bdnews24.com, “He was always the first to appear when the people were in suffering.”

“He was elected city mayor for two successive terms. People’s love for him will not fade easily,” he added.

Survived by his wife, a daughter and two sons, Kamran was also closely involved with cultural activities.