Once he played the villain opposite Salman Shah. Now he is accused in his murder case

9 August 2026

Emrul Hasan Bappi

As the day’s court proceedings ended, lawyers began leaving the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court premises in the early evening. But a group of journalists remained outside the main entrance to the lockup at the Dhaka court.They were waiting for Ashraful Haque, better known as Bangladeshi film villain Don.Don had been arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 6:00am Sunday while preparing to leave for Saudi Arabia. Several hours later, he was brought to the CMM Court and kept in the lockup in connection with a murder case filed over the death of 1990s' popular film star Salman Shah.His arrest came nearly three decades after the death of the star with whom he once shared the screen.Around 5:00pm, the waiting journalists suddenly rushed towards the police escort as Don was being taken from the lockup to a courtroom.Five minutes later, Don was placed inside the dock of the courtroom. His handcuffs were removed too.He wore a dark charcoal, long-sleeved shirt with a small golden floral pattern, blue jeans and yellow sandals.For a brief moment, the scene seemed almost cinematic -- reminiscent of the kinds of roles he had often portrayed on screen.He stood in the dock with a stern, seemingly defiant expression, but remained almost entirely silent.Moments before the judge entered the courtroom, Don ran his right hand through his hair, briefly adjusting it as he waited.At one point, a Supreme Court lawyer approached to represent him, but Don declined, saying his brothers were on their way. The lawyer then stepped aside.At 5:10pm, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana took his chair. State lawyer Omar Faruq Faruqi argued that Don should be sent to jail.With no lawyer representing him in the courtroom, Don was subsequently sent to jail by the magistrate.Police again escorted him to the same lockup. Later, he was taken to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.Don and Salman Shah belonged to the same generation of Dhallywood actors.Salman Shah, whose real name was Chowdhury Muhammad Shahriar Emon, rose to stardom in the 1990s and appeared in 27 films during his brief career.His debut film, Keyamat Theke Keyamat, released in 1993, made him an overnight sensation alongside actress Moushumi. Don also appeared in the film.While Salman became one of the country's most popular romantic heroes, Don established himself in supporting and villainous roles.The two appeared together in at least 13 films, often on opposite sides of the hero-villain divide that defined much of commercial Bangladeshi cinema.Don went on to act in more than 650 films over a career spanning several decades.Salman’s career, however, was cut tragically short.He was found dead at his Eskaton Road home on September 6, 1996, at the age of 25.His death shocked the country and has remained the subject of speculation and controversy ever since.A case that returned after 29 yearsSalman’s family never accepted the conclusion that he had died by suicide.His father initially filed an unnatural death case and, in 1997, sought to have it converted into a murder case.Decades later, the issue returned to court.On October 20 last year, the Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court-6 of Dhaka ordered that the case over Salman's death be treated as a murder case.The following day, Salman's maternal uncle Mohammad Alamgir filed a murder case with Ramna Police Station against 11 people, including Salman's former wife Samira Haque, businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai and Don.The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is now investigating the case. The submission of probe report is now scheduled on August 30.