NN Online Report
The Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) has expressed grave concern over conflicting statements and repeated delays in the investigation into the brutal murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.
Sagar Sarowar, former News Editor of Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, a Senior Reporter at ATN Bangla, were murdered in their West Rajabazar apartment in Dhaka on the night of February 11, 2012. The heinous crime was committed in the presence of their young son, shaking the entire nation. Despite a promise by the then Home Minister to arrest the perpetrators within 48 hours, 13 years have passed without any visible progress or justice.
Today, the DRU Executive Committee, through President Abu Saleh Akon and General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel, raised concerns over recent contradictory statements about the case evidence and records. They voiced their frustration over the prolonged investigation and urged for swift justice.
Earlier today, a High Court bench comprising Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Shikdar Mahmudur Raji granted a six-month extension for the investigation, responding to a nine-month time plea by the state. This extension follows widespread confusion caused by initial media statements suggesting that important case documents and evidence had been destroyed—an allegation later denied by the police and the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
This is the 117th time the deadline for submitting the investigation report has been extended. On April 15, 2025, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate MA Azharul Islam once again deferred the date after PBI failed to submit the report.
Despite repeated time extensions and promises, the suspects in the Sagar-Runi murder case remain unidentified and unapprehended. The prolonged wait for justice has left their families—especially Sagar’s elderly mother Saleha Munir and their only son, Mahir Sarowar Megh—in anguish. Meherun Runi’s mother, Nurunnahar Mirza, passed away without seeing justice for her daughter.
The DRU has urged the formation of a high-powered task force composed of experienced investigators from various agencies to ensure a proper and speedy conclusion to the case. The organization believes that if law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh can solve complex high-profile crimes, they should also be able to resolve the Sagar-Runi murder.
Reiterating their demand, DRU leaders called for an end to delays and a thorough investigation to bring the real culprits to justice without further procrastination.
