New controversy over Salman Shah’s death after 29 years, Shabnur speaks
Actress Shabnur has expressed anger and surprise over various statements that have recently resurfaced nearly three decades after the death of popular film actor Salman Shah.
She has described the claims made by UK-based Rizvi Ahmed regarding “blackmail”, love and marriage as completely false, baseless and fabricated.
According to Shabnur, Salman Shah was her beloved co-star and like an elder brother to her. She said she had no connection whatsoever with his death.
Shabnur spoke to Prothom Alo from Sydney, Australia, on Sunday. Although she has never met Rizvi Ahmed in person, the actress said she could not understand why he was making such claims.
Shabnur said, “I have never even met this man, who has been living in the UK since 1999, face to face. I did not even visit the UK between 2016 and 2018. Yet he claims that we got married and divorced during that period! Hearing all this, it seems that he and I never actually got married; perhaps we only had a “dream wedding night”.’ She laughed for a while after making the remark.
In two separate interviews recently, Rizvi Ahmed claimed that Shabnur used to blackmail Salman Shah. He also made two different statements about his alleged relationship with Shabnur. In one interview, he said that he had wanted to marry Shabnur in his mind. In another interview, he claimed that they had actually married in 2016.
Questioning the motive behind Rizvi’s statements, Shabnur said, “The same person is making completely different statements at different times. At one point he says he is an approver, at another he says Salman committed suicide, and at yet another he fabricates stories about having a relationship with me. He is spreading these false statements either with an ulterior motive or at someone’s instigation.”
Rizvi Ahmed became an approver in the case concerning Salman Shah’s death in 1997. However, in recent interviews, he claimed that Salman Shah had died by suicide. He blamed Salman Shah’s mother Neela Chowdhury and Shabnur for his death.
Regarding this, Shabnur said, “Salman Shah was my beloved co-star and like an elder brother to me. I had absolutely nothing to do with his death. It is unacceptable that, after all these years, a person should make different statements at different times and drag me into false stories.”
Shabnur has also written a lengthy post on social media about the matter. After she refuted Rizvi’s statements, many of her fans expressed their support for her. Thousands of comments have been posted under the post.
A fan named Shakil Ahmed wrote, “Thank you, for presenting the truth. I hope Salman Shah’s murder is properly investigated and justice is served through a fair trial.”
Sheikh Shamim commented, “Going to the UK by chartering a flight without a passport or coming up with absurd stories about marriage makes it clear that these are nothing but fabricated tales. Do not let such propaganda upset you.”
Mostafizur Rahman Manik wrote, “There is no point in taking the words of a mentally ill person into consideration.” Another fan, Maria Akter, wrote, "That man seems to be mentally ill. Wishing you all the best.”
On the same day that Shabnur made these remarks, Ashraful Haque, also known as Don Haque, a supporting actor who has played villainous roles and an accused in the Salman Shah murder case, was arrested.
Immigration Police arrested him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon. They later handed him over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Salman Shah made his film debut in 1993 with “Keyamat Theke Keyamat”. During his acting career of just three and a half years, he appeared in 27 films and gained immense popularity in Dhallywood.
Authorities recovered his body from his residence in Eskaton, Dhaka, on 6 September 1996. Discussions and controversy over the actual cause of his death have continued for nearly three decades.