Sylhet district administration has appointed an executive magistrate to oversee the exhumation of the body of popular film actor Salman Shah, nearly three decades after his death, as part of a renewed investigation into the cause of his death.
The development was confirmed on Sunday, 5 July, by Sub-Inspector Shah Alam of the General Registration Branch of the Ramna Police Station Court under the Prosecution Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
According to court sources, Additional District Magistrate Pinki Saha of the Sylhet District Magistrate’s Office issued the official order on 22 June. A copy of the order was later sent by post to the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court and was officially recorded on Sunday.
The order was issued to implement the directive of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana, who on 24 May ordered the exhumation of Salman Shah’s body to determine the actual cause of his death. In accordance with Section 176(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Md Parvez of the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner’s Office has been appointed to remain present during the exhumation and perform the duties of a magistrate.
Earlier, on 24 May, the court directed authorities to exhume the actor’s body in the presence of an executive magistrate, prepare an inquest report and conduct a post-mortem examination as part of efforts to uncover the mystery surrounding his death. The application seeking exhumation was filed on 20 May by CID Inspector Ziaul Morshed, the investigating officer in the case.
On 23 June, Mohammad Alamgir (Kumkum), the complainant in the case, filed a petition before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana seeking cancellation of the exhumation order. The court ordered that the petition be placed on record.
A murder case over Salman Shah’s death was filed at Ramna Police Station in Dhaka on the night of 21 October last year by his maternal uncle, Alamgir Kumkum. A day earlier, on 20 October, the court ordered a fresh investigation into whether the late actor died by suicide or was murdered.
In the case, Alamgir Kumkum named Salman Shah’s former wife Samira Haque as the prime accused. The other accused include businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, Latifa Haque Lucy and actor Don. A total of 11 people have been named in the murder case filed over Salman Shah’s death.
