The submission of the investigation report in the high-profile murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi has been deferred once again, now for the 119th time.
A Dhaka court on Tuesday rescheduled the submission date to August 11, 2025, after the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) failed to file the report.
Metropolitan Magistrate Minhajur Rahman fixed the new date following a routine hearing.
The PBI, which is currently handling the probe, could not present the report within the stipulated time, leading to yet another delay in the pursuit of justice for the brutal double murder that shook the nation over a decade ago.
On February 11, 2012, Sagar Sarowar, a news editor at Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were found murdered in their rented apartment in West Rajabazar, Dhaka. Their then four-and-a-half-year-old son, Mahir Sarowar Megh, was present in the home during the incident.
Runi’s brother Nausher Alam filed a murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station on the day of the killings.
Initially, the case was handled by the local police before being transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. However, after 62 days, DB admitted its failure to make progress in the investigation.
In April 2012, the High Court transferred the investigation to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which led the probe for over a decade.
On September 30, 2023, the High Court removed RAB from the case, citing a lack of results, and ordered the formation of a high-powered task force under the Home Ministry.
This decision followed a petition filed by the state seeking a revision of a previous High Court ruling related to the case’s investigation. The four-member task force is currently led by the chief of the PBI.
The accused in the case include Rafiqul Islam, Bokul Mia, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Islam alias Arun, and Abu Sayeed, along with two security guards of the journalist couple’s residence named Palash Rudra Paul and Enayet Ahmed as well as their friend Tanvir Rahman Khan. Among them, Palash and Tanvir are out on bail, while the rest remain in custody.
Despite repeated assurances from authorities, the long-delayed investigation continues to frustrate the victims’ families and the journalism community, who are still awaiting justice more than 13 years after the double homicide.