Salman Shah case: Court sets Nov 5 deadline for probe report

The case accuses 11 people, including his wife Samira Haque, her mother Latifa Haque Leo alias Lucy, and actor Ashraful Haque Don, of allegedly conspiring to kill the actor.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana fixed the new date after CID Inspector Mujibur Rahman, the investigation officer, sought more time to complete the investigation and submit the report. The development was confirmed by SI Shah Alam of the prosecution department.

The report was originally scheduled to be submitted on Tuesday.

Arrest of accused Don

The investigation gained renewed attention following the arrest of Don, one of the accused, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on August 9. Immigration police arrested him and later handed him over to the CID. He was sent to jail the same day.

On August 20, investigating officer Mujibur Rahman sought a seven-day remand for Don. After hearing the plea on August 27, the court granted him five days remand. Following the remand, Don was sent to jail on September 9, where he has remained since then.

Earlier, on August 12, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court had rejected his bail petition.

Case filed alleging murder

Salman Shah’s mother, Neela Chowdhury, filed the present case through her brother Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum on October 20 last year, alleging that her son was murdered.

The complaint alleges that the named accused and unidentified fugitives conspired and killed Salman Shah on September 6, 1996.

Salman Shah, whose real name was Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar Emon, was found dead at his flat in Dhaka’s Eskaton area on September 6, 1996. He was one of the country’s most popular film actors at the time.

Following his death, his father, Komruddin Ahmed Chowdhury, initially filed an unnatural death case.

Later, alleging that his son had been murdered, he applied on July 24, 1997, to have the case converted into a murder case. The court subsequently directed the CID to investigate the death and the murder allegation.

Earlier investigations

On November 3, 1997, the CID submitted its final report, concluding that Salman Shah had died by suicide.

His father rejected the CID findings and filed a revision petition. On May 19, 2003, the court sent the case for a judicial inquiry.

After an investigation lasting about 11 years, Metropolitan Magistrate Imdadul Haque submitted the judicial inquiry report on August 3, 2014. The report also rejected the allegation of murder.

After Salman Shah’s father died, his mother continued pursuing the case. On February 10, 2015, she filed a naraji petition challenging the judicial inquiry report and named 11 people whom she suspected of being involved in her son’s death.

PBI report also ruled out murder

The case was subsequently investigated by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). However, following an objection from the prosecution, the Special Judge Court-6 in Dhaka ordered RAB on August 21, 2016, to stop investigating the case.

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) then took over the investigation.

After around four years of investigation, the PBI submitted its final report on February 25, 2020, saying it had found no evidence to substantiate the allegation of murder.

The PBI said it analysed statements of 54 witnesses who were present at or connected to the incident and examined the seized evidence. According to the report, none of the evidence supported the murder allegation.

The PBI report stated that Salman Shah had been suffering from mental distress over family problems, including his close relationship with actress Shabnur and his separation from his mother because of his wife Samira Haque. It concluded that he had taken his own life out of emotional distress.

Family rejects findings

Salman Shah’s mother rejected the PBI findings and sought a further investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding her son’s death.

On October 31, 2021, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mamunur Rashid took cognisance of the PBI report and discharged the accused.

The family subsequently sought a revision of the order before the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court. The revision petition was admitted on June 12, 2022, but its hearing was delayed for various reasons.

On October 20 last year, Dhaka’s Sixth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Jannatul Ferdous Ibn Haque allowed the revision petition filed by Salman Shah’s mother.

The court directed that the allegations raised by his father and the statement of Rizvi Ahmed alias Farhad be incorporated into a murder case and ordered Ramna Model Police Station to investigate the allegations and submit a report.

The present investigation is being conducted in light of that court order.

The latest deadline for submission of the investigation report is November 5. 

AL/TF