Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal (born 31 December 1950) is a Bangladeshi fugitive, at large since 5 August 2024, a member of the

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

and one of the key

perpetrators In law enforcement jargon, a suspect is a known person accused or suspected of committing a crime. Police and reporters in the United States often use the word suspect as a jargon when referring to the perpetrator of the offense (perp in dated U. ...

of the

July massacre The July massacre () was the violent suppression and mass killings in Bangladesh during the July Revolution (Bangladesh), July Revolution from July 16 to August 5, 2024. Triggered by the reinstatement of a controversial Quota system of Banglades ...

orchestrated and executed by Sheikh Hasina's toppled regime. He is wanted by the

government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

for

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...

during the

Student–People's uprising The July Revolution, also known as the Student–People's uprising, was a pro-democracy mass uprising in Bangladesh in 2024. It began as a quota reform movement in early June 2024, led by the Students Against Discrimination, after the Bang ...

of 2024. He has previously held the constituent seats of

Dhaka-11 Dhaka-11 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Dhaka North City Corporation wards 21 through 23, and four union parishads of Badda Thana: Badda, Beraid, ...

and

Dhaka-12 Dhaka-12 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Since 6 August 2024, the constituency remains vacant. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Dhaka North City Corporation wards 24 through 27, 35 ...

, and has been the former Minister of Home Affairs of Bangladesh.

Early life

Khan was born on 31 December 1950 in Monipuripara,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, in the then

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

Dominion of Pakistan The Dominion of Pakistan, officially Pakistan, was an independent federal dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations, which existed from 14 August 1947 to Pakistan Day, 23 March 1956. It was created by the passing of the Indian Independence ...

. His home district is Dohar, Dhaka. In 1965, he completed his SSC from Tejgaon Polytechnic High school (Now Tejgaon Government High School) and in 1967, he completed his HSC from

Jagannath College Jagannath University (JnU) () is a public university located in Sadarghat, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded as ''Dhaka Brahma School'' in 1858 and renamed ''Jagannath School'' in 1872, and later renamed ''Jagannath College'' in 1884, the institution w ...

which is among the reputed colleges today.

Career

Khan was a member of the Mukti Bahini and fought in the

Bangladesh Liberation war The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

in 1971. He served in sector 2 under Captain Abdul Halim Chowdhury. He was elected to Parliament in December 2008. From 2009 to 2013, he served in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Public Works. He was a member of the

Bangladesh Press Council Bangladesh Press Council () is an quasi-judicial institution that protects freedom of speech and regulates the press in Bangladesh and is located in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, Bangladesh. History The act to establish the institution was passed in 1974 ...

. He founded the Dohar Padma College. He served as the President of the Ispahani School and College and

Tejgaon College Tejgaon College () is a college in Dhaka city, Bangladesh which was founded in 1961. It has 30,000 students. Tejgaon College is located at Farmgate, at the Dhaka city centre. It had started off as a night college in a school campus at Sadarghat ...

, two reputed colleges (both founded after Bangladesh's liberation war). He is a senate member of the

Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SbAU; ) is one of the oldest agriculture educational institutions in South Asia, situated in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established on 11 December 1938 as Bengal Agricultural Institute ( ...

. He was re-elected in January 2014 and on 12 January 2014, he was made the State Minister of Home Affairs. On 14 July 2015 he was made the Minister of Home Affairs. On 22 January 2024, He was awarded the honorary Great Wall Commemorative Medal by the Chinese government. The Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Yao Wen, presented the award and certificate during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Dhaka. Established by China's Ministry of Public Security in 2020, the medal recognizes foreign law enforcement officers who have significantly contributed to the safety of Chinese citizens.

Criminal activities

According to the official report BGB provided to

OHCHR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univers ...

, Kamal, on behalf of the former Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

, the Director-General of her Special Security Force and her Military and Security Advisor, provided verbal directives to "use maximum force." during the

Student-People's uprising The July Revolution, also known as the Student–People's uprising, was a pro-democracy mass uprising in Bangladesh in 2024. It began as a quota reform movement in early June 2024, led by the Students Against Discrimination, after the Bang ...

. On 13 August 2024, a murder complaint was filed at a court in Dhaka against Khan and five other government officials, including Ex- Prime Minister

, regarding the killing of a grocer during the

2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement The 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement was a series of anti-government and pro-democracy protests in Bangladesh, spearheaded primarily by Universities in Bangladesh, university students. Initially focused on restructuring Quota system of B ...

on 19 July. He reportedly left Bangladesh illegally, according to Additional Inspector General Md Shah Alam, head of the special branch (SB) of police. Speaking to the media on October 2, Alam mentioned that immigration police have no records of Kamal's departure, suggesting he likely crossed the border illegally. A news report had surfaced showing Kamal, along with former MP Ashim Kumar Ukil, Apu Ukil, and one of Haji Mohammad Salim's sons, spotted at Eco Park in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

. Alam speculated that Kamal could have used various illegal land routes to leave the country. On 9 October 2024, The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed separate cases against Asaduzzaman Khan, his wife Lutful Tahmina Khan, their two children Safi Muddasir Khan and Safia Tasnim Khan, and his Assistant Private Secretary (APS) Monir Hossain, accusing them of amassing illegal wealth, misuse of power, bribery in recruitment, and money laundering. ACC director general Akhtar Hossain stated that the investigation revealed that the former minister and his family accumulated around Tk 60.55 crore in illegal wealth and concealed Tk 416.74 crore across 36 bank accounts. Additionally, Monir Hossain was found to have amassed Tk 18.82 crore illegally, with suspicious transactions amounting to Tk 31.31 crore in 12 bank accounts. The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has already suspended the transactions in their accounts. While in exile, he gave an interview to

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...

, alleging that the

student-people's uprising The July Revolution, also known as the Student–People's uprising, was a pro-democracy mass uprising in Bangladesh in 2024. It began as a quota reform movement in early June 2024, led by the Students Against Discrimination, after the Bang ...

was the result of a "joint coup by Islamic terrorists and the army". He also called for the Indian government to diplomatically intervene to pressure the interim government to remove the court cases against him and other Awami League leaders. He has been quoted as the "Butcher Of Bangladesh" by Chief Adviser Dr. Yunus's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.

Personal life

Kamal is married to Lutful Tahmina Khan. They have a son, Safi Muddaser Khan Joty. Joty was arrested on 14 September 2024 Rabiul Sunny in connection to a case of attempted murder.

Early life

Career

Criminal activities

Personal life

References

Further reading