After 29 long years, a murder case has finally been filed over the death of legendary Bangladeshi film actor Salman Shah. Following a court directive, Salman Shah’s former wife Samira Huq has been named as the prime accused in the case. Alongside her, businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, Latifa Huq Lucy, and film villain Don, among others, have also been accused — a total of 11 individuals. Several unnamed persons have also been listed in the case.
The case was filed late Monday night (October 20) at Ramna Model Police Station in Dhaka by Salman Shah’s uncle Alamgir Kumkum. Earlier that same day, Dhaka’s 6th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md. Jannatul Ferdous Ibne Haque ordered a reinvestigation into the incident, ruling that Salman Shah’s death should be treated as a murder, not a suicide. Within 24 hours of the court order, the murder case was filed.
Plaintiff Alamgir Kumkum said, “Salman Shah’s father, a magistrate, tried all his life to prove that his son was murdered, not suicidal. Sadly, he passed away without getting justice. After so many years, we finally filed a murder case under the court’s directive. Inshallah, the truth will come out one day.”
Family members and lawyers said they had always maintained that Salman Shah was murdered, rejecting the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) report which concluded that he had committed suicide.
It may be recalled that on September 6, 1996, Salman Shah was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his Eskaton residence in Dhaka. The incident was recorded as a suicide at the time, and PBI’s final report also supported that claim. However, Salman’s mother Nila Chowdhury consistently rejected the suicide theory, insisting it was a premeditated killing.
Following a revision petition filed by Salman’s family, the court ordered a reinvestigation and instructed Ramna police to carry it out. In its observation, the court said the earlier investigation into Salman Shah’s death was marked by negligence and irresponsibility. Based on that observation, the case has now been reopened — officially as a murder case after nearly three decades.