The High Court has removed the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from the investigation of the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi and directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to form a high-powered task force. The court has given six months to submit a report on the progress of the investigation.
This decision was made by the bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub ul Islam after the state’s appeal on Monday, September 30th. The case has been notorious for its lengthy investigation process, with the latest submission deadline being pushed back for the 113th time. The RAB’s Additional Superintendent of Police, Khandaker Shafiqul Alam, failed to submit the report by the most recent deadline on September 9, prompting Dhaka’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Mahbubul Haque to set a new deadline of October 15th for submission.
The highly publicized murder case has also seen a change in legal representation for the complainants, with attorney Mohammad Shishir Monir now appointed to spearhead the legal efforts to unravel the mystery behind the killings. According to Meherun Runi’s brother, Nowsher Roman, Monir will begin work immediately, collaborating closely with the investigation officers to ensure a rigorous legal battle at both lower and higher courts.
The journalist couple was brutally murdered in their rental apartment in West Rajabazar, Dhaka, on the night of February 11, 2012. Their five-year-old son Mahir Sarowar Megh was in the apartment at the time of the murders. Initially, the case was handled by Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station and was later transferred to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch. After over two months of unsuccessful investigation by the Detective Branch, the High Court transferred the case to RAB in April 2014.
The saga of the Sagar-Runi murder case continues to unfold as the newly formed task force takes over the investigation, aiming to finally bring closure to this long-standing and emotionally charged case.
