Justice delayed for 117th time in Sagar-Runi murder case
Published: 15 April 2025, 7:16:28
Over thirteen years after the brutal murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi shocked the nation, the quest for justice remains painfully stagnant.
In yet another setback, the court on Tuesday (April 15) deferred the submission of the investigation report for the 117th time.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), the current agency tasked with probing the case, failed to submit the report on the scheduled date of April 15.
In response, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate M A Azharul Islam fixed May 21 as the new deadline for report submission. The update was confirmed by the General Registration Branch of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
The double murder took place on the night of February 11, 2012, when Sagar Sarowar, then News Editor at Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, a Senior Reporter at ATN Bangla, was found stabbed to death in their apartment in the capital’s West Rajabazar area. Their 5-year-old son was home at the time of the murder but was unharmed.
The case immediately drew widespread attention and condemnation. The killings triggered nationwide outrage, particularly among media professionals, with journalists organizing demonstrations and demanding swift justice.
Following the murders, Runi’s brother, Nowsher Alam Roman, filed a murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. Initially, a sub-inspector of the station led the investigation, but due to the case’s high-profile nature and growing public pressure, the case was soon transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
However, after more than two months of investigation, the DB failed to make any significant headway. On April 18, 2012, in response to a High Court order, the case was reassigned to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), in the hope that a specialized unit might finally crack the case.
Despite this, over a decade passed with little tangible progress. In a significant development on September 30, 2024, the High Court bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam ordered the removal of RAB from the investigation. Citing prolonged inefficiency and lack of conclusive outcomes, the bench directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to form a high-powered task force to monitor and expedite the investigation.
The court also instructed that a comprehensive progress report be submitted within six months. Since that ruling, the case has been under the jurisdiction of the PBI. Yet, as of April 2025, no concrete developments or arrests have been made public.
The repeated deferral of the investigation report, now at an astonishing 117 times, has drawn widespread criticism from the journalist community, legal experts, and human rights organizations. Many see the delay not only as a failure of law enforcement but also as a reflection of systemic inefficiency, political interference, or both.
“This level of delay in a case involving such prominent victims is not just unacceptable, “it’s a national disgrace,” said a senior journalist who requested anonymity”. If justice for Sagar and Runi can be delayed indefinitely, what hope do ordinary citizens have?”
Legal analysts note that such prolonged delays often lead to the deterioration of evidence, fading memories of witnesses, and a loss of public trust in the justice system.
The Sagar-Runi case has become emblematic of the broader challenges facing Bangladesh’s criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to solving crimes against journalists, activists, and other vulnerable groups. It underscores the urgent need for accountability, institutional reform, and depoliticization of investigations.
Despite assurances from multiple governments over the past decade, the investigation remains incomplete, and the murderers continue to evade justice.
As the nation awaits the next scheduled date in May, there is little optimism that this time will be any different. For the families of the victims and the wider journalism community, the wait for justice continues painfully, and indefinitely.
