Taskforce gets six more months in Sagar–Runi murder probe

The High Court on Thursday (October 23) granted the special task force another six months to complete the investigation into the killings of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.

The order was passed by a bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Fatema Anwar following a petition from the state.

Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared for the complainant in the murder case, while Supreme Court lawyer Manzill Murshid represented the writ petitioner; Additional Attorney General Mohammad Arshadur Rouf represented the state.

On September 30, the High Court removed the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from the probe and directed the Home Ministry to constitute a high-level taskforce, instructing it to submit a report by April 6.

The ministry subsequently formed a four-member taskforce, naming the Additional Inspector General who heads the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) as convener.

The other members are two additional deputy inspector generals—one each from Police Headquarters and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)—and a director from RAB.

As April 6 fell during the court’s vacation, no progress was recorded; on April 22, the court allowed a further six months. The writ petition then returned to the cause list, leading to Thursday’s extension.

Sagar, then news editor at Maasranga Television, and Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were killed at their rented apartment in Dhaka’s West Rajabazar in the early hours of February 11, 2012. The following day, their bodies were recovered.

On February 12, Runi’s brother, Nowsher Alam Roman, filed a murder case at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. The investigation initially went to the local police, then on February 16 to the Detective Branch (DB), and two months later, by High Court order, to RAB. The agency has yet to submit a final report.

On September 29 last year, Roman appointed lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir to represent the complainant. Separately, in 2012, the rights group Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed a public interest writ seeking effective investigation and arrests.

The High Court issued a rule on February 28, 2012, asking why the authorities should not be directed to identify and prosecute the killers. Advocate Manzill Murshid said the case has seen no decisive progress since the probe was handed over to RAB.