Sagar-Runi murder case: Probe report deferred for 119th time
The investigating agency failed to submit the report, prompting the court to reschedule
A Dhaka court has once again deferred the submission of the investigation report in the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, setting a new date of 11 August. This marks the 119th time the submission of the report has been delayed.
Metropolitan Magistrate Minhazur Rahman of Dhaka passed the order today (8 July), after the scheduled date for the submission of the report by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
The investigating agency failed to submit the report, prompting the court to reschedule.
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On 11 February 2012, Sagar Sarowar, then news editor at Maasranga Television, and his wife Meherun Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were found murdered in their rented apartment in West Rajabazar, Dhaka. Their 4.5-year-old son, Mahir Sarowar Megh, was present at the scene at the time of the incident.
Following the killings, Runi's brother Nawshad Alam filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. Initially, the investigation was conducted by the local police, and later transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
However, 62 days after taking over the investigation, on 18 April 2012, the DB admitted its failure in the High Court. The case was then handed over to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which continued investigating for over a decade.
On 30 September last year, the High Court relieved RAB of the responsibility, ordering that a high-powered task force under the Home Ministry be formed to carry out the investigation.
The High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub-ul-Islam issued the order in response to a revision plea filed by the state seeking to amend a previous order related to the writ petition on the investigation.
On 23 October last year, in compliance with the court directive, the government formed a four-member task force headed by the chief of PBI to oversee the murder investigation.
The accused in the case are Rafiqul Islam, Bokul Mia, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Islam alias Arun, Abu Sayeed, two security guards of the couple's residence - Palash Rudra Pal and Enayet Ahmed - and their 'friend' Tanvir Rahman Khan. Among them, Tanvir and Palash are currently out on bail, while the others remain in custody.
