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Actor Ashraful Haque Don, arrested in the murder case of popular Bangladeshi film actor Salman Shah, was sent to jail on Wednesday after completing a five-day remand.
CID Inspector Majibur Rahman, the investigation officer of the case, produced Don before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court and sought an order to keep him in custody. Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana subsequently ordered that he be sent to jail, according to SI Shah Alam of the prosecution department.
In his petition, the investigation officer said Don had concealed important information during interrogation but investigators had obtained significant information regarding his possible involvement in the case.
He said the information was being verified and that Don might need to be questioned again with the court’s permission. The investigator therefore sought his continued detention until completion of the investigation.
Don was arrested by immigration police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on August 9 while allegedly attempting to leave the country. He was subsequently handed over to the CID and sent to jail the same day.
On August 20, the investigation officer sought seven days of remand for Don. The court granted five days of remand on August 27.
In Wednesday’s petition, Inspector Majibur said Don had been a close friend of Salman Shah and had acted alongside him in several films between 1992 and September 6, 1996.
The investigator said Don acknowledged knowing several absconding accused named in the case when questioned, but allegedly withheld important information. Given his close association with Salman Shah and their frequent interactions, investigators believe he was aware of many details surrounding the actor’s death.
The petition said Don gave evasive answers when questioned about Salman Shah’s death and the case. Investigators also claimed they had found information and evidence concerning his conduct and movements before, during and after the incident that warranted further scrutiny.
Describing the case as highly publicised and sensational, the investigator said Don had concealed important information and could be questioned again if necessary.
The case was filed on October 20 last year by Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum, maternal uncle of Salman Shah, on behalf of his mother, Neela Chowdhury.
Salman Shah, whose real name was Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar Emon, died at his flat in Dhaka’s Eskaton area on September 6, 1996, when his popularity was at its peak in Bangladesh’s film industry.
His father, Kamruddin Ahmed Chowdhury, initially filed an unnatural death case over his son’s death. He later sought to have it converted into a murder case, alleging that Salman had been killed.
In 1997, a court ordered the CID to investigate the allegations. The CID submitted a final report on November 3 that year, concluding that Salman Shah had died by suicide.
Rejecting the CID report, Kamruddin filed a revision petition. The court subsequently ordered a judicial inquiry in 2003. The inquiry report, submitted in 2014, also rejected the murder allegation.
After Kamruddin’s death, Salman Shah’s mother continued pursuing the case. In 2015, she rejected the judicial inquiry report and named 11 people whom she suspected of being involved in her son’s death.
The case was later investigated by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), but a Dhaka court ordered RAB in 2016 to stop investigating it following objections from the state.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) subsequently took charge of the case. After a four-year investigation, the PBI submitted its final report in February 2020, saying it found no evidence of murder after analysing statements from 54 witnesses and examining seized evidence.
The PBI report concluded that Salman Shah had died by suicide amid family tensions and mental distress allegedly linked to his relationship with actress Shabnur and his separation from his mother due to his relationship with his wife, Samira Haque.
Salman Shah’s mother rejected the PBI findings and sought further investigation into her son’s death. However, a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate accepted the PBI report in October 2021 and discharged the accused.
The family later sought a revision of the matter before the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court. The revision petition was admitted in June 2022, but its hearing was delayed for various reasons.
On October 20 last year, the 6th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Jannatul Ferdous Ibn Haque allowed Neela Chowdhury’s revision petition and ordered a fresh investigation into Salman Shah’s death.
The court directed Ramna Model Police Station to investigate the allegations, incorporating the complaint filed by Salman’s father and the statement of Rizvi Ahmed alias Farhad, who was allegedly involved in the incident.
The current case alleges that the named accused and unidentified absconding suspects conspired and deliberately killed Salman Shah on September 6, 1996.