Md Shah Kamal is a retired senior secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and the chief national commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts.[1]
Career
editKamal first joined Bangladesh Scouts (then Pakistan Scouts) in 1968.[2]
Kamal has received Silver Elisha and Silver Tiger, the top two awards of Bangladesh Scouts.[3]
From March 2015 to 2019, Kamal was the secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.[4][5] In August 2017, Md Abdul Haque, general secretary of Sunamganj Bar Association, sued Kamal and 139 others over comments critical of residents of Sunamganj District affected by flood for saying they do not understand disaster zone based on their demands to declare the flood zones disaster areas and for poor construction of wetland dams leading to flooding.[6]
Kamal allowed an inspection team of the United Nations to visit Bhasan Char, where the government planned to house 100 thousand Rohingya refugees, in November 2019.[7][8] He was responsible for allocation aid and money to deputy commissioners during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.[9] He was promoted to Senior Secretary in 2019 and served till June 2020 when he retired from government service on 29 June 2020.[4][5]
In July 2024, Kamal was elected chief national commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts winning against another retired government secretary, Kabir Bin Anwar.[3] He replaced Md Mozammel Haque Khan.[10] On 16 August 2024, Dhaka Metropolitan Police raided his residence and recovered 31.1 million BDT.[11] He was arrested on 18 August.[11] Also seized from his house was US$3000 and nearly $2000 AUD.[4] The police also detained his business partner, Nusrat Hossain.[12] He was charged under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Md Shah Kamal, secretary of Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, hands over". today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Shah Kamal elected chief national commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts". The Daily Star. 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ a b "Dr Shah Kamal made chief national commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts". Dhaka Tribune. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ a b c "Tk 30m, foreign currency seized from ex-secretary Shah Kamal's residence". Prothomalo. 2024-08-17. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ a b "Former senior secretary Shah Kamal arrested". Dhaka Tribune. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Monir, Zaman (4 August 2017). "Disaster management secy, 139 others sued". New Age. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Joint letter on Plans to Move Rohingya Refugees to Bhasan Char Island". Burma Campaign UK. 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "1 lakh Rohingyas to be relocated at Bhasanchar by September". RTV Online. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Government allocates Tk 98.1m, rice for the poor amid coronavirus shutdown". Government allocates Tk 98.1m, rice for the poor amid coronavirus shutdown. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Prez for imparting modern trainings to scouts - - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ a b "Ex-senior secretary Shah Kamal arrested". Samakal. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Former senior secretary, his business partner placed on remand". The Daily Star. 2024-08-18. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Ex-secretary Shah Kamal remanded in foreign currency case | News". BSS. Retrieved 2024-08-19.