Salman Shah murder case: Exhumation order stands, but cancellation application recorded

A court order allowing the exhumation of actor Salman Shah's remains has not been cancelled, despite earlier announcements to that effect, according to the prosecution.

Court officials later clarified that an application seeking cancellation of the order was archived rather than granted.

The confusion arose today (23 June) after Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum, the plaintiff in the case and Salman Shah's maternal uncle, filed an application with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana seeking cancellation of the exhumation order.

Following a hearing in the morning, a police officer read out an order in open court stating that the application had been accepted and the previous order to exhume the remains had been cancelled.

However, later in the day, Sub-Inspector Shah Alam of the Prosecution Department said the order to exhume the remains had not been cancelled.

"The court has archived the application. The order to exhume the body remains unchanged," he said.

Reacting to the development, the plaintiff's lawyer Abid Hasan expressed frustration.

"In the morning, the open court cancelled the order to exhume Salman Shah's remains. But at noon, I am hearing that the application has been archived. I cannot comprehend this matter. All works of the judiciary should have more transparency," he said.

He added, "The order was announced in open court in front of the judge. There is no scope for such a mistake to happen in front of the judge. How it happened is beyond my comprehension."

Alamgir Kumkum also questioned the discrepancy.

"When I filed the application standing in the dock, the court said 'accepted'. I heard it with my own ears. But suddenly I am hearing it has been archived. How is this possible?" he said.

Explaining the situation, SI Shah Alam said, "One of our police officers announced a wrong order in open court. In reality, the court has archived the application."

The application argued that Salman Shah was buried on the premises of Hazrat Shahjalal's (R) shrine and that exhuming his remains could hurt religious sentiments and create an untoward situation.

Objections to the exhumation were raised on behalf of both the plaintiff Kumkum and the actor's mother, Neela Chowdhury.

Earlier, on 20 May, the investigation officer of the case, CID Inspector Md Ziaul Morshed, sought the court's permission to exhume the remains, conduct an inquest and post-mortem examination, and appoint an executive magistrate.

Following that application, the court granted permission on 24 May to exhume Salman Shah's remains.

Nearly 29 years after the death of actor Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar (Emon), popularly known as Salman Shah, the case was filed against 11 people at Ramna Police Station on 20 October 2025.

Salman's maternal uncle, Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum, on behalf of Salman's mother Neela Chowdhury, filed the case.

After accepting the First Information Report, the court directed Inspector Atiqul Islam Khandaker to submit the investigation report on 7 December.

The accused are: Salman Shah's wife Samira Haque, her mother Latifa Haque Lusi, actor Ashraful Haque alias Don, businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, David, Zaved, Faruk, Ruby, A Sattar, Saju and Rijvi Ahmed Farhad.

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

Upon their arrival, Samira and a domestic aide named Abul informed them that Salman was sleeping. Film producer Siddique had also gone to meet him. Hearing that their son was asleep, his parents told Samira they would meet him on their way to Sylhet.

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

When the family reached the residence, they found Salman lying motionless in his bedroom while several unknown women were rubbing oil on his hands and feet. 

Salman's parents then rushed him towards Holy Family Hospital, where they noticed rope marks on his neck and a bluish tint to his face and legs.

His mother insisted on taking him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on 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, he filed a petition with the court, bringing murder allegations and seeking to register the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

In October 2021, a Dhaka court accepted a Police Bureau of Investigation probe report in the case over actor Salman Shah's death, where it is mentioned that the actor had died by suicide due to a family feud