Ex-UP chair Salim Khan, son Shanto's bodies to be exhumed for autopsy in Chandpur
The date for exhumation has not yet been fixed
A court has ordered the exhumation of the bodies of former Lakshmipur Model union chairman Salim Khan and his son, actor Shanto Khan, for autopsies, two years after they were killed in a mob lynching in Chandpur.
The order was issued on Sunday (20 September), while the date for exhumation has not yet been fixed.
Chandpur Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Fayez Ahmed confirmed the matter today (22 September).
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He said an application was submitted to the deputy commissioner seeking an executive magistrate to oversee the exhumation.
"The deputy commissioner has approved the application, but the date for exhumation is yet to be determined," he added
Salim Khan and Shanto Khan were killed on 5 August 2024, the day the Sheikh Hasina government fell. Due to the situation at the time, they were buried at their family graveyard without autopsies.
The OC said that after the situation normalised, the Model Police Station filed a case as the plaintiff over the incident. The court later ordered the autopsies. Sub-Inspector Chand Miah of the town's Natun Bazar Police Outpost is currently investigating the case.
Salim Khan was chairman of No 10 Lakshmipur Model Union Parishad and president of the union Awami League. He was also associated with the film production house Shapla Media, while his son Shanto acted in films.
On the evening of 5 August 2024, Salim Khan and his son were leaving the area in a vehicle when they encountered an angry mob in Chapila village under Balia union of Sadar upazila.
They managed to escape but were later trapped in the nearby Bagra Bazar area, where they were killed in a mob beating.
Some locals later recovered their bodies and took them to Chandpur Government General Hospital.
The bodies were handed over to the family without autopsies and were subsequently buried at their ancestral home in Khan Bari, Lakshmipur village.
There were various allegations against Salim Khan, including illegal sand extraction from the Padma and Meghna rivers. Anti-Corruption Commission cases over the allegations were ongoing.
The then deputy commissioner also filed a case against him over the recovery of money related to government revenue evasion from sand extraction. He also faced allegations over various matters, including land acquisition for Chandpur Science and Technology University.
