A Dhaka court has deferred the submission of the investigation report in the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi for the 125th time, setting May 7 as the new date.
The report was scheduled to be submitted on Wednesday, but the investigation officer—Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Additional Superintendent of Police Md Azizul Haque—failed to do so.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam subsequently fixed the new date.
Sub-Inspector Rafiqul Islam Russell of the prosecution department confirmed the development.
The accused in the case include Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Islam alias Arun, Abu Sayeed, and two security guards of the couple’s residence—Palash Rudra Pal and Enayet Ahmed—as well as their acquaintance Tanvir Rahman Khan.
Among them, Tanvir is currently on bail, while Palash Rudra Pal has absconded after securing bail. The remaining accused are in jail.
Sagar Sarwar, news editor at Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were murdered on February 11, 2012. Following the incident, Runi’s brother, Nausher Alam Roman, filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
Initially, a sub-inspector of the police station was assigned to investigate the case. Four days later, the responsibility was handed over to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB). After more than two months without progress, the High Court transferred the investigation to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on April 18 that year.
On September 30 last year, the High Court ordered the formation of a high-powered task force comprising experienced investigators from multiple agencies and directed that the probe be completed within six months. The court also ordered RAB to be removed from the investigation.
Subsequently, on October 17, the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs formed a four-member task force, with the PBI chief serving as its convener.
