Court defers Salman Shah murder case probe report for 7th time; new date 23 June

A Dhaka court has deferred the submission of the investigation report in the murder case filed over the death of popular film actor Salman Shah for the seventh time, setting 23 June as the new date.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana fixed the new date after the investigation officer, Inspector Atikul Islam Khandaker of Ramna Model Police Station, failed to submit the report today (14 May).

Earlier, the court had set 14 May for the submission of the report, confirmed Assistant Sub-Inspector Md Rezaul of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police prosecution division.

The case was filed against the actor's former wife Samira Haque and 10 others. Other accused include Samira Haque's mother Latifa Haque Lucy, businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, actor Don, David, Javed, Faruk, Ruby, A Sattar, Saju and Rezvi Ahmed alias Farhad.

In October last year, Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum, brother of Salman Shah's mother Neela Chowdhury, filed the case with Ramna Police Station on her behalf. The court later accepted the complaint and ordered the investigation officer to submit a report by 7 December.

According to the case statement, on 6 September 1996, Salman Shah's mother Nilufar Zaman Chowdhury (Neela Chowdhury), father, now late Kamar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury and their younger son Shahraan Shah went to Salman's residence at New Eskaton to meet him.

After arriving at the residence, his wife, Samira, and a domestic aide named Abul informed them that Salman was sleeping. At that time, film producer Siddique had also gone to meet him. Hearing that Salman was asleep, his parents told Samira that they would meet him on their way to Sylhet.

Later that day, production manager Selim phoned Kamar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, saying that something had happened to Salman and urged them to go to his house immediately.

When Neela, her husband, and their younger son reached the house, they found Salman lying motionless in his bedroom, and a few unknown women were rubbing oil on his hands and feet. In another room, Samira's relative Ruby -- who ran the nearby Mayfair Beauty Parlour -- was sitting.

At that moment, Salman's mother screamed and urged them to take her son to the hospital immediately.

One of Samira's acquaintances reportedly shouted at Salman's mother, saying, "You get out of my house."

Salman's parents quickly took him towards Holy Family Hospital, where they noticed rope marks on his neck and his face and legs turning blue.

His mother insisted on taking him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared Salman Shah dead upon arrival, saying he had died some time earlier.

Following the incident, Kamar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury initially filed an unnatural death case. The following year, on 24 July 1997, Salman Shah's father filed a petition with the court, bringing murder allegations and seeking to register the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

"As Salman's father – my brother-in-law – has passed away, I am pursuing the case on behalf of my sister under the power of attorney vested in me," the complainant said.