Sagar-Runi murder: Court serves show-cause notice on investigating officer as probe report delayed for 124th time
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman issued the order after a hearing today.
The investigation report in the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi has been postponed to 1 April, prompting the court to issue a show-cause notice to the investigating officer for an explanation.
With this, the submission has been delayed 124 times.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman issued the order after a hearing today (8 February), as Additional Superintendent of Police Md Azizul Haque of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), the investigating officer, failed to submit the report, and directed the investigator to appear in person to explain the delay.
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Rafiqul Islam, deputy superintendent of police of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Prosecution Division, confirmed the information.
On 11 February 2012, Sagar Sarowar, news editor of Maasranga TV, and Meherun Runi, senior reporter of ATN Bangla, were murdered in their capital's West Rajabazar apartment.
Their four-year-old son Mahir Sarwar Megh was present at the time.
Runi's brother Nawser Alam filed a murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
The accused in the case are Rafiqul Islam, Bokul Mia, Masum Mintoo, Kamrul Islam alias Arun, Abu Sayeed, two security guards of the couple's residence, Palash Rudra Pal and Enayet Ahmed and their acquaintance Tanvir Rahman Khan. Among them, Tanvir and Palash are currently on bail, while the others remain in jail.
At that time, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) was entrusted with the charge of the investigation into the murder case which was later transferred to the RAB. The elite crime-busting agency has failed to submit the investigation report in court after taking time 111 times in the last 12 years.
On 30 September 2024, the High Court ordered the formation of a high-power task force through the Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the case, removing RAB from the charge.
During the hearing, the High Court observed, "We hope justice will be ensured this time, and the six months given for investigation will mean six months." The court has set 6 April for passing further orders in this regard.
In line with the High Court directive, the government formed a four-member task force on 23 October, appointing the chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) as its convener.
