Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana has authorised the exhumation of the body of actor Salman Shah as part of a renewed investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death in 1996.
The order, issued on May 24, directs that the body be exhumed in the presence of an executive magistrate, followed by the preparation of an inquest report and a fresh post-mortem examination. The decision was made after an application by the case’s investigating officer, according to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
Investigating officer Inspector Ziaul Morshed of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had applied to the court on 20 May, arguing that a renewed examination of the remains was necessary to determine the true cause of death.
According to the case record, Salman Shah, whose full name was Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar Emon, was found ill at his residence on New Eskaton Road on the morning of 6 September 1996 and was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead. An unnatural death case was filed at Ramna Police Station, and he was later buried at the Shahjalal shrine complex in Sylhet.
After years of investigation and legal proceedings, Salman Shah’s maternal uncle, Mohammad Alamgir, filed a murder case at Ramna Police Station on October 21, 2024. The case names several accused under Sections 302 and 34 of the Penal Code, including his wife Samira Haque, businessman and producer Aziz Mohammad Bhai, and others.
Earlier, on October 20, the Sixth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court in Dhaka ordered that the matter be treated as a murder case rather than an unnatural death case.
The complaint alleges that suspicious circumstances surrounding the actor’s death, marks of physical injury and inconsistencies at the scene warrant further investigation. The renewed post-mortem has therefore been initiated to establish the actual cause of death.
Salman Shah’s death has remained the subject of public debate and speculation since 1996. The court’s latest order has brought the case back into the spotlight and generated renewed discussion within the film industry.
