A Dhaka court has deferred, for the 129th time, the deadline to submit investigation report in the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.
On Thursday, the court fixed 30 September as the new date for submission after the investigation agency failed to present its findings yet again.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam passed the order as case investigation officer, Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Additional Superintendent Md Azizul Haque, failed to submit the report on scheduled date.
Sub-Inspector (SI) Mazharul Islam of Prosecution Department confirmed the court’s decision.
A fourteen-year quest for justice
Sagar Sarowar, news editor of Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, senior reporter of ATN Bangla, were brutally killed in their rented flat in Dhaka’s West Rajabazar area on 11 February 2012.
Following the double murder, Runi’s brother Nowsher Alam Roman filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
The case has remained unresolved for over 14 years. The investigation initially began with a sub-inspector at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, before being handed over to Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch (DB) four days after the incident.
When DB failed to solve the case after more than two months, the High Court on 18 April 2012 ordered the investigation to be transferred to Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Task force fails to meet deadline
Following years without visible progress under RAB, the High Court on 30 September last year ordered RAB to be removed from the journalist couple Sagar-Runi murder case.
The court directed the formation of a high-powered task force, consisting of experienced officers from different law enforcement agencies, to complete the investigation within six months.
Following this directive, Home Affairs Ministry Public Security Division issued a gazette notification on 17 October last year, forming a high-level, four-member task force committee led by PBI chief as its convener.
However, despite the High Court’s strict timeframe, the task force has failed to finish the investigation within the designated period, leaving the high-profile case delayed for over 14 years.
Eight individuals stand accused in the murder case – Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Miah, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Islam alias Arun, Abu Sayeed, house security guards Palash Rudra Paul and Enayet Ahmed, and the victims’ friend Tanveer Rahman Khan.
Currently, Tanveer is out on bail, while Palash has absconded after securing bail. The remaining six accused are currently held in prison.
