The probe report submission by RAB has been deferred 85 times so far
Md Sanaul Islam Tipu: Family members and the journalist community in the country have spent yet another year waiting for justice as investigators failed to unearth the mystery of the murder of the journalist couple Sagar-Runi.
Ten years ago on this day, the journalist couple was brutally murdered in their own home, but justice remains a far cry as the law enforcers are yet to make any headway into the investigation.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the agency in charge of the investigation, has not been able to make any substantial progress in its probe into the murders.
The submission of the probe report has been deferred 85 times.
The families of the victims have termed the ongoing investigation an eyewash, while journalist leaders termed it a continuation of the culture of impunity prevailing in the country.
Runi’s brother Nowsher Alam Roman, speaking to Dhaka Tribune, said: “We are frustrated. Investigations and trials in many sensational murder cases have been completed. But there has been no progress in this particular case.”
“The submission of the probe report has been deferred 85 times. I will say that it is part of a drama. It is nothing but an eyewash and a mockery of the system,” he said.
“My mother had expected to see justice for the murders but her expectations remained unfulfilled. My mother died on January 5 this year,” Roman added.
“Now the investigation officer is not communicating with us,” he said.
“But whatever the situation, we want justice,” Roman said.
The murders and the case
Sagar Sarwar, the then news editor of Maasranga TV, and his wife Meherun Runi, senior reporter of ATN Bangla, were murdered at their rented apartment at Paschim Razabazar in the capital in the presence of their minor son Mahir Sarowar Megh on February 11, 2012.
Five-year-old Megh was in his room when his parents were being murdered.
The double murder sparked a nationwide outcry, particularly among journalists, who have been demanding justice for the slain couple since then.
Top officials of the government as well as law enforcement agencies visited the couple’s residence, and their child Megh, and assured their families of speedy justice. Then home minister Sahara Khatun had vowed to bring the killers to justice within 48 hours.
10 years of investigation
The case was initially investigated by the Detective Branch (DB) of police, but was transferred to RAB on April 18, 2012, when the detectives admitted to their failure to unearth the motives behind the gruesome murder.
But RAB has not made any visible headway into finding out the motive or the culprits either.
RAB investigators repeatedly said that the investigation was continuing and it ‘would take appropriate legal steps’ though the investigators sought time on dates one after another.
On January 24 this year, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Torikul Islam deferred the date of submitting the probe report to February 23.
Members of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in Dhaka hold a candlelight vigil remembering the journalist couple Sagar and Runi on Thursday, February 10, 2022 Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune
RAB has so far submitted eight progress reports on the investigation, but none of the reports indicated that they had unearthed any significant clue.
The latest report RAB submitted before the court was on October 5, 2020.
Progress made to date
Till now, the investigators have interrogated 158 people, including 27 journalists, and recorded Megh’s statement. They have also run tests on the DNA samples collected from the crime scene. The tests were conducted at a private laboratory in the US.
On November 14, 2019, a bench of the High Court Division comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman expressed their dismay over RAB’s failure to make any progress in the investigation into the case.
The bench directed RAB to submit a report on the progress on March 4, 2020. During the hearing, RAB investigator and additional police superintendent Khandaker Shafiqul Alam admitted that there had been no progress in the investigation.
Khandaker Shafiqul Alam was the seventh investigator in the case since July 4, 2019. When the court asked him to explain whether Sagar’s missing laptop had been found, he replied in the negative.
Expressing frustration over the snail’s pace of the probe, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) President Nazrul Islam Mithu said: “Ten years have passed since the murder but the investigator has failed to submit the probe report till date.”
“On the tenth anniversary of the journalist couple’s murder, our only demand is for justice to be done over the killing”, he said, urging the government to ensure justice through completion of the probe and a trial as soon as possible.”
