A Dhaka court on Tuesday became the centre of confusion over whether an earlier order to exhume the remains of late film star Salman Shah had been cancelled, nearly 30 years after his death, in connection with an ongoing murder investigation.
The uncertainty arose after plaintiff Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum submitted an application to the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana seeking the cancellation of an order permitting the exhumation of the actor’s remains.
Following a hearing, a police officer reportedly announced in open court that the application had been accepted and that the previous order allowing the exhumation had been withdrawn. As a result, several media outlets reported that the exhumation order had been cancelled.
However, later in the day, prosecution department Sub-Inspector Shah Alam clarified that the order had not been revoked. Instead, he said, the plaintiff’s application had merely been recorded by the court.
“The police officer mistakenly announced the order in open court. In fact, the court only recorded the application,” Shah Alam said.
The development prompted criticism from lawyer Abid Hasan, who represents the plaintiff.
“In the morning, the court publicly cancelled the order to exhume Salman Shah’s remains. But later I heard that the application had only been recorded. I do not understand how this happened,” he said.
He added: “The order was announced before the judge in open court. There should be no scope for such a mistake in the judge’s presence. I do not understand how it occurred.”
Alamgir Kumkum also expressed surprise at the change in interpretation.
“I was standing in the dock when I submitted the application and the court said ‘accepted’. I heard it with my own ears. Now I am hearing that it was only recorded. How is that possible?” he said.
The application argued that exhuming the actor’s remains could hurt religious sentiments and create an undesirable situation. It also stated that objections had been raised by both the plaintiff and Salman Shah’s mother, Nilufar Jaman Chowdhury.
Earlier, on 24 May, the same court granted permission for the exhumation of the actor’s remains following an application by Criminal Investigation Department inspector Md Ziaul Morshed. The request sought permission for exhumation, an inquest and a post-mortem examination.
The murder case was filed on October 20 last year at Ramna Police Station by Alamgir Kumkum on behalf of Nilufar Jaman Chowdhury, nearly three decades after the actor’s death.
According to the case statement, Salman Shah’s parents visited his residence on the day of the incident and were informed by his wife Samira and a household employee that he was sleeping. Film producer Siddiq had also reportedly gone to meet the actor but left after receiving the same information.
Later that day, the actor’s father received a phone call from production manager Selim informing him that something had happened to Salman Shah. Family members rushed to the residence and found him lying in his bedroom.
The complaint further alleges that several women were massaging the actor’s hands and feet at the scene and that a woman named Ruby was present in the room.
The family later noticed marks around his neck and discolouration on his face and legs while transporting him to hospital. He was eventually taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors informed the family that he had died some time earlier.
Salman Shah died on 6 September 1996. His death remains one of the most discussed and controversial cases in the history of Bangladesh’s film industry.
