Court orders swift submission of Sagar-Runi murder probe report
Deadline deferred for 125th time
A Dhaka court today (1 April) directed the investigation officer to submit the long-delayed report in the sensational murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi "very soon," after deferring the deadline once again.
The court, however, set 7 May as the new date for submitting the probe report, marking the 125th time the deadline has been extended in the case.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman passed the order after hearing a petition, said Rafiqul Islam, sub-inspector of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's prosecution division.
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The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), the agency currently handling the case, failed to submit the report on the scheduled date, prompting the court to reschedule.
Earlier, on 9 February, the court had issued a show-cause notice to the investigation officer asking why the report had not yet been filed.
Responding in person, Additional Superintendent of Police Md Azizul Haque of the PBI cited ongoing investigative processes and directions from the High Court (HC).
He told the court that a high-powered taskforce had been formed as per HC directives and that investigators had been granted six months to complete their work, with the deadline set to expire on 23 April. "The investigation is ongoing and we will submit the report as soon as it is completed," he said.
The judge, however, urged the officer to expedite the process and file the report without further delay, prosecution official Rafiqul.
The sensational killing of the journalist couple on 11 February, 2012, at their rented apartment in West Rajabazar shocked the country. Their minor son, then just four and a half years old, was present in the home at the time of the murders.
Sagar, a news editor at Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were both respected journalists. Their deaths sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice.
Runi's brother Nawser Alam had filed the case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station shortly after the incident.
After filling the case, initially the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police was entrusted with the investigation, which was later transferred to the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).
Rab failed to submit the investigation report even after taking 111 times over the past 12 years.
On 30 September 2024, the HC ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs to form a high-power taskforce to probe the case, removing Rab from the charge.
On 23 October 2024, the home ministry formed a four-member taskforce as per court order to investigate the double murder and submit its findings within six months.
Despite repeated assurances and changes in investigative leadership, the case remains unresolved, with delays raising concerns about justice and accountability.
