Actor Don sent to prison Salman Shah murder case

A Dhaka court on Sunday ordered actor Ashraful Haq Don to be sent to prison in connection with the murder case of film actor Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar Emon, popularly known as Salman Shah.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Jewel Rana passed the order following a hearing. Earlier in the afternoon, CID Inspector Arifur Rahman, the investigating officer in the case, produced Don before the court and applied to keep him in judicial custody.

Representing the state, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqui stated during the hearing that the accused had been absconding for a long time. He was detained by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the airport on Sunday while attempting to flee abroad. The prosecutor argued that Don was directly involved in the murder.

As no bail application was submitted by the defense, the court ordered him to be sent to jail.
 

On October 20 last year, Mohammad Alamgir Kumkum, uncle of Salman Shah, filed a murder case on behalf of Salman Shah's mother, Neela Chowdhury, at Ramna Police Station. Eleven individuals were named as accused in the case, including Salman Shah's wife Samira Haq, Samira's mother Latifa Haq Leo alias Lucy, and actor Ashraful Haq Don. Subsequently, the court directed the CID to investigate the matter and submit a report.

Salman Shah passed away on September 6, 1996. Following his death, his late father Kamaruddin Ahmad Chowdhury initially filed an unnatural death case. On July 24, 1997, he submitted an application requesting the case be converted into a murder case, alleging that his son was killed.

The court directed the CID to investigate both allegations together. On November 3, 1997, the CID submitted its final report to the court, concluding that Salman Shah's death was a suicide. The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court in Dhaka accepted the report on November 25 that year. However, Kamaruddin Ahmad Chowdhury rejected the report and filed a revision petition.

On October 20 last year, Dhaka 6th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md. Jannatul Ferdous Ibne Haq accepted the plaintiff's revision petition and ordered the matter to be accepted as a murder case.