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Salman Shah’s death anniversary: Unresolved even after 30yrs
Published : Sunday, 6 September, 2026 at 9:27 AM
Our Correspondent
File Photo
Sunday (September 6) marks the 30th death anniversary of Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar Emon, universally known as Salman Shah, whose death in 1996 remains one of Bangladesh's most enduring mysteries.
On September 6, 1996, the 25-year-old film icon was found unconscious at his New Eskaton residence in Dhaka. He was rushed to Holy Family Hospital and subsequently transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where attending doctors pronounced him dead.
Initially recorded as an unnatural death, the case has sparked three decades of legal battles and conflicting investigations. While official investigative bodies repeatedly classified his death as suicide, his family consistently rejected those findings, alleging planned murder.
The legal trajectory shifted dramatically in October 2025, when the Sixth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court in Dhaka directed the Ramna Police Station to register the case as a murder investigation under Sections 302 and 34 of the Penal Code.
Following the court order, the actor’s uncle, Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum, filed a formal murder case naming 11 individuals, including Salman Shah's former wife Samira Haq, her mother Latifa Haq Lucy, business tycoon Aziz Mohammad Bhai, and actor Ashraful Haq, commonly known as Don.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Bangladesh Police was tasked with leading the fresh inquiry. On August 9, 2026, immigration authorities arrested long-time fugitive actor Don at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport as he attempted to leave the country. Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana granted a five-day remand for Don on August 27 following a CID application seeking to interrogate him regarding the wider conspiracy.
The current CID investigation marks a major departure from previous official findings. In November 1997, the CID initially submitted a final report categorizing the death as suicide. A subsequent judicial inquiry concluded in August 2014 reached the same finding.
Following further appeals by Salman's mother, Neela Chowdhury, the court assigned the case to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) in 2016. In February 2020, the PBI released its final report attributing the death to suicide driven by marital discord, emotional distress, and interpersonal strain. Neela Chowdhury rejected the PBI findings as fabricated, filing a naraji (no-confidence) petition that ultimately paved the way for the 2025 murder indictment.
The CID is re-examining three decades of case dockets, past witness statements, and historical confessions, including a Section 164 statement from one of the accused, Rezvi Ahmed. In May 2026, CID Inspector Ziaul Morshed obtained court authorization to exhuming Salman Shah's remains for advanced forensic evaluation.
The CID was originally scheduled to submit its latest progress report on August 30, 2026. However, the court granted an extension, setting September 29, 2026, as the new deadline for the submission of the investigative report.
Salman Shah made his silver screen debut in 1993 with ‘Keyamat Theke Keyamat’ and went on to star in numerous blockbuster films during his brief career. Several of his projects, including ‘Sotter Mrittu Nai’ and ‘Jibon Shongshar,’ achieved massive commercial success posthumously.
Thirty years after his untimely death, the definitive circumstances surrounding his passing remain unresolved before the court.
-SA
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
