Sagar-Runi Murder Case: Report Submission Postponed for 129th Time
Journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi. Photo: File.
A Dhaka court has once again deferred the submission of the investigation report in the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi, marking the 129th postponement since the case began. The new deadline has been set for September 30.
The case, filed at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station, was scheduled for report submission on Thursday. However, Investigating Officer Md. Azizul Haque, Additional Superintendent of Police from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), failed to submit the report. He did appear in person before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam to explain the delay. The magistrate then rescheduled the submission for September 30.
The Accused
The accused in the case are: Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Islam alias Arun, Abu Said, the couple's two security guards—Palash Rudra Pal and Enayet Ahmed—and their "friend" Tanvir Rahman Khan. Among them, Tanvir is out on bail, while Palash has gone into hiding after being released on bail. The rest remain in jail custody.
Background of the Murder
On February 11, 2012, Sagar Sarwar, news editor of Mashranga Television, and Meherun Runi, a senior reporter for ATN Bangla, were murdered in their home. Runi's brother, Nowsher Alam Roman, later filed a murder case at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station.
Initially, a sub-inspector from that police station was the investigating officer. Four days later, the high-profile case was transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. After more than two months of investigation, DB failed to solve the mystery. Following a High Court directive, the case was handed over to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on April 18 of the same year.
High Court Forms Task Force
On September 30, 2024, the High Court ordered the formation of a high-powered task force comprising experienced investigators from various agencies to probe the murders. The court also directed that the investigation be completed and a report submitted within six months.
Pursuant to that order, on October 17, 2024, the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification forming a four-member high-level task force committee, with the head of the PBI serving as its convener.
Despite the formation of the task force, the investigation report has now been postponed 129 times, prolonging the wait for justice for the slain journalist couple and their families.
