There is a saying in Mass Communication that media make personality. Mass media can make a person prominent and ruin one’s reputation in no time. Taking advantage of media’s influence, a wicked man may grow and steal the show. Md Shahed of Regent Group is a glaring example. 

The government on Sunday cancelled the accreditation card of Regent Group Chairman Md Shahed alias Shahed Karim, who was arrested and put on 10-day remand on charge of issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.   “The accreditation card of Md Shahed has been cancelled as he was arrested in a case,” Information Department’s Chief Information Officer Surath Kumar Sarkar told UNB.   Shahed took a declaration of a daily newspaper named ‘Doinik Natun Kagoj’ and managed an accreditation card showing his newspaper, he said.   “If the law enforcers arrest anyone, his/her accreditation card will be cancelled,” he said adding that Shahed’s authorisation card was cancelled as he has been arrested in a case.   Earlier on Wednesday, members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Shahed from Shakhra Komorpur border in Debhata upazila of Satkhira on charge of issuing fake Covid-19 certificates and brought to Dhaka by helicopter.   A case was filed against him on July 14 on charge of embezzling more than Tk 91 lakh from a transport exporter in Chattogram.   On July 16, a court placed Shahed and Regent Group’s managing director Masud Parvez on a 10-day remand each in a case over issuing fake Covid-19 certificates.   The Regent Group head office along with both the hospitals were sealed off and 16 people, including the chairman, were sued on charge of issuing fake coronavirus test reports.

International Affairs Secretary of Awami League Dr Shammi Ahmed on Wednesday said Regent Group’s owner Md Shahed had never been a member of the International Affairs Sub-Committee of the party.