A Dhaka court has once again deferred the submission of the investigation report in the much-discussed murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, marking the 125th postponement of the report.
The next date for submitting the investigation report has been fixed for May 7.
The order was passed on Wednesday (April 1) by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arifur Rahman. The day had been scheduled for submission of the investigation report, but the investigating officer failed to submit it, prompting the court to set a new date.
Eight people have been accused in the sensational murder case, including Runi’s friend Tanvir Rahman. The other accused are house security guard Enam Ahmed alias Humayun Kabir, Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Mintu alias Bargira Mintu alias Masum Mintu, Kamrul Hasan Arun, Palash Rudra Pal and Abu Sayeed. Although each accused has been taken on remand multiple times, none has given a confessional statement.
On the night of February 11, 2012, Sagar Sarowar, news editor of Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, senior reporter of ATN Bangla, were brutally murdered at their rented residence in West Rajabazar, Dhaka. Their mutilated bodies were recovered the following morning.
Runi’s brother, Nausher Alam Roman, filed the murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. Initially, the investigation was conducted by a sub-inspector of the police station. Four days later, the investigation was handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, which failed to solve the case after more than two months of investigation.
Following a High Court directive, the investigation was transferred to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on April 18 of the same year.
Later, on September 30 last year, the High Court ordered the formation of a high-powered task force comprising experienced investigators from different agencies to complete the investigation within six months. The court also removed RAB from the investigation. The order was passed by a High Court bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam.
Subsequently, on October 17, a government notification issued by the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry formed a four-member high-level task force headed by the chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to carry forward the probe.
