A Dhaka court has granted permission to exhume the remains of film actor Salman Shah in a fresh effort to determine the actual cause of his death, nearly 29 years after the incident.
The order was issued on May 24 by the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana following an application filed by the investigating officer in the case. Dhaka Metropolitan Prosecution Division Sub-Inspector Shah Alam confirmed the development on Wednesday afternoon.
According to court documents, the case’s investigating officer, CID Police Inspector (Unarmed) Md. Ziaul Morshed, filed an application on May 20 seeking permission to exhume the body, prepare an inquest report, conduct a post-mortem examination, and appoint an executive magistrate for the process.
Acting on the application, the court approved the exhumation request on May 24.
The application stated that on September 6, 1996, at around 9:30am., Salman Shah’s mother Neela Chowdhury, father Kamar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, and brother Shahran Shah went to visit him at his residence at Iskaton Plaza 11/B on New Eskaton Road in Dhaka.
Upon arrival, his wife Samira Haque and an employee named Abul informed them that Salman Shah was sleeping. The family then returned to their residence on Green Road.
At around 11:30am., they received a telephone call from Salman Shah’s residence informing them that something had happened to him and asking them to come immediately. They rushed to the residence and found Salman Shah lying motionless on a bed in his room.
He was first taken to Holy Family Hospital and later to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors on duty declared him dead.
Following a postmortem examination, his body was buried at the graveyard within the shrine premises of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) in Sylhet. An unnatural death case was filed with Ramna Police Station on the same day.
According to the application, a murder case has now been filed with Ramna Police Station under the direction of the relevant court, 29 years after the incident.
The application further stated that, in the interest of ensuring a proper investigation, it is essential to exhume Salman Shah’s body, prepare a fresh inquest report, conduct a new post-mortem examination, and review the post-mortem findings.
