Mohammad Shishir Monir, the lawyer representing the plaintiff in the case of slain journalists Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, accused high-ranking officials in the Sheikh Hasina government of obstructing the investigation into the couple’s 2012 murders.
Despite the case being under investigation for over a decade, Monir said that the probe has not made significant progress, with no report being released even after 13 years.
Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court Annex on Tuesday, Monir highlighted that, after the current government came to power, the High Court formed a high-level task force to investigate the case further.
The task force is expected to submit its investigation report by April 4. According to Monir, members of the task force have made substantial progress in the investigation, speaking to the plaintiff, the lawyers, and other involved parties.
However, the committee members revealed that previous government officials had hindered the investigation, leading to its lack of progress.
On October 17, 2024, following a directive from the High Court, a four-member high-level task force was formed, led by the chief of the PBI, to take over the investigation of the murder case.
The task force includes representatives from the police, the CID, and RAB. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification to establish the task force.
In a separate order issued on September 30, 2024, the High Court instructed that the investigation be completed within six months and that RAB be removed from the case.
The Ministry of Home Affairs was tasked with overseeing the implementation of these directives, and a new task force was formed with experienced investigators from various law enforcement agencies.
The murders of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar, the News Editor of Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, Senior Reporter of ATN Bangla, occurred on the night of February 11, 2012, in their rented apartment in West Rajabazar, Dhaka.
Their young son, Mahir Sarowar Megh, who was just five years old at the time, was in the home during the incident. Naosher Ali Roman, Runi's brother, filed a case at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station following the murders.
After the case was initially handled by Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police, it was transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) after three days. Subsequently, on April 18, 2012, the case was handed over to RAB. Out of the eight individuals arrested in connection with the murders, two have been granted bail, while the rest remain incarcerated.
