Staff Reporter :
Popular silver screen actor Shahriar Chowdhury Imon, widely know as Salman Shah, was not murdered, but he committed suicide over family feud in 1996, says a report of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
PBI Chief and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Banaj Kumar Majumder disclosed the findings of the probe report during a press briefing at the PBI Headquarters in the city’s Dhanmondi area on Monday.
The PBI interrogated 44 people, who were present at the scene and testimonies of 10 people had been recorded under section 164 of the penal code, he said.
Banaj Kumar said, “As per the final report there is no proof of Salman’s murder. We took the depositions of his wife Samira, relatives, friends and colleagues.”
After taking depositions and investigation, it is proved that Salman committed suicide as he could not tolerate his mental agony and also for family feud, the PBI chief added.
PBI found five reasons behind Salman’s suicide. They are — his excessive intimacy with Shabnur, conjugal conflict with wife Samira, attempt to suicide several times as he was over emotional, limitless love for his mother that turned into huff for his complicated relationship and incompleteness of conjugal life for not having children.
In a query, the PBI chief said, “The actor’s [Salman’s] closeness with fellow actor Shabnur was also a contributing factor in his suicide, something that she has vehemently denied during the PBI investigation, claiming their relationship was strictly professional.” Salman Shah died on September 6, 1996 at the age of 25. Following the death, his father Kamaruddin Chowdhury filed an unnatural death case. In the initial autopsy report, doctors said the death occurred due to asphyxiation by hanging. After Md Humayun Kabir, erstwhile police commissioner of the Detective Branch, took over the case, Salman’s mortal remains were excavated and examined again.
The doctors drew the same conclusion this time too but plaintiff Kamaruddin rejected the report. In 1997, one Rezvi Ahmed alias Forhad was arrested in the case which was changed from “unnatural death” to “murder”. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CID) took over the case that year.
Rezvi, however, later disowned his confession given before the police. Also, Detective Branch, Criminal Investigation Department of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and a judicial probe body investigated the case separately and submitted their reports stating that it was a case of unnatural death, which his family rejected.
On May 19, 2003, court sent the case for judicial investigation, and the same was in for around 15 years.
On August 3, 2014, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Imdadul Haque submitted report of the judicial investigation before CMM court judge Bikash Kumar Saha. The film actor’s death was also mentioned as suicide in the report.
On December 21, 2014, Salman Shah’s mother Nila Chowdhury refused the judicial investigation report into her son’s death. Rather, she submitted discontent plea on the report before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Zahangir Hossain on February 10, 2015.
In the plea, Nila Chowdhury mentioned 11 people, including the actor’s wife Samira Haque, producer and businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, for their having link with her son’s murder.
The others are Salman’s mother-in-law Latifa Haque Lucy, house help Monowara Begum and seven more — Rizvi Ahmed alias Farhad, choreographer Nazrul Sheikh, ‘David’, Ashraful Haque Don, Rabeya Sultana Rubi, Mostak Wayeed and Abul Hossain Khan.
On December 7, 2016, a court in Dhaka has asked the PBI to carry out further investigations into the case.
