Court Cancels Order to Exhume Actor Salman Shah Remains
Photo Collected
A Dhaka court has rescinded its previous order to exhume the remains of renowned film actor Salman Shah, effectively halting efforts to re-examine his death nearly three decades after he passed away. Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Jewel Rana granted the request to cancel the exhumation order on Tuesday, following a petition filed by the case plaintiff, Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum.
The court had originally authorized the exhumation on May 24, following a request from the investigating officer assigned to the case. However, legal representatives for the plaintiff argued that the procedure was no longer viable or advisable. Attorney Abid Hasan stated that after 29 years, there is little probability of recovering credible evidence from the remains, noting that the disturbance of the grave could offend religious sentiments and incite public unrest.
The petition emphasized that because the actor is buried within the premises of the Hazrat Shahjalal (R) shrine in Sylhet, exhumation efforts risked triggering significant community backlash and potential violence. Both the plaintiff and the actor’s mother, Nilufar Zaman Chowdhury, known as Neela Chowdhury, had formally expressed their opposition to the procedure.
Salman Shah, a transformative figure in Bangladeshi cinema, died on September 6, 1996. While his death has been the subject of persistent public speculation and controversy for years, formal legal efforts to challenge the circumstances of his passing continue. Following a complaint filed by Neela Chowdhury’s brother, Alamgir Kumkum, in October, a murder case was registered at the Ramna Police Station.
The case names several individuals as defendants, including the actor’s former wife, Samira Haq, and her mother, Latifa Haq Lucy. Other accused include prominent businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, as well as associates and film personalities identified as Don, David, Javed, Farooq, Ruby, Abdul Sattar, Saju, and Rezvi Ahmed, also known as Farhad.
0%
0%
0%
0%
