Nearly 29 years after the death of legendary Bangladeshi actor Salman Shah, a murder case has been filed against 11 individuals, including his wife Samira Haque, alleging the popular film star was killed in a planned murder.

The case was lodged by Salman’s maternal uncle Mohammad Alamgir with Ramna Police Station under sections 302 and 34 of the Penal Code.

The accused are Samira Haque, Aziz Mohammad Bhai, Latifa Haque Lusi, Dawn, David, Zaved, Faruk, Ruby, A. Sattar, Saju, and Rijvi Ahmed Farhad.

The development follows a court order issued on October 20 by Dhaka’s 6th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Jannatul Ferdous Ibn Haque, directing police to treat the long-standing unnatural death case as a murder case and submit a report.

The court had earlier revoked the unnatural death case on October 31, 2021, reopening the path for a murder investigation.

According to the complaint, Salman Shah—whose real name was Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar (Emon)—was found dead in his Eskaton residence on September 6, 1996. His family discovered rope marks on his neck and discoloration on his body, prompting suspicions of strangulation.

While an unnatural death case was initially filed, Salman’s father later sought a murder investigation in 1997. Following his death, Salman’s uncle Alamgir revived the case using power of attorney granted by Salman’s mother, Nilufar Zaman Chowdhury.

The new filing marks a major turn in one of Bangladesh’s most debated celebrity deaths.

MN/