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The additional attorney general says that evidence was burnt at the Detective Branch office, but the Police Bureau of Investigation has given a differing explanation
Published : 22 Apr 2025, 01:56 PM
The High Court has granted a taskforce six more months to complete the investigation into the 2012 double murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.
The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi issued the order on Tuesday following a hearing where the state sought more time to complete the long-stalled investigation.
Additional Attorney General Arshadur Rouf represented the state and sought another nine months to complete the probe.
“The investigation has made progress. More time is needed. The office of the Detective Branch (DB) was set on fire on Aug 5. Many records were burnt then,” he told the court.
The state, however, did not present a progress report to the court on Tuesday, citing the “confidential nature” of the ongoing investigation.
After the hearing, Md Shishir Manir, counsel for the plaintiff, said: “Repeatedly asking for extensions gives a bad impression to the public. We had asked for them to be granted three more months. After the hearing, the High Court granted six months.”
The additional attorney general’s comments on the alleged destruction of documents have sparked discussions. The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), which is responsible for investigating the case under the taskforce, has issued a statement on the matter.
It said, “Some news reports have said that DB documents were burnt. That is not correct. There was no mention of burnt documents in the fire. Additional Attorney General Arshad Rouf said that it will take time to find old documents and records as most of the DB officers have been transferred.”
On Feb 11, 2012, journalist couple Sagar and Runi were murdered in their rented home in Dhaka’s West Rajabazar.
At the time, Sagar was employed by the private television channel Maasranga TV, while Runi worked for ATN Bangla.
Runi's brother, Nausher Ali Roman, filed a case with the Sher-e-Bangla Police Station in connection with the murder.
On Sept 30, the High Court ordered the case to be transferred from the Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, to a high-powered task force under the home ministry for further investigation.
After a change in government, Rupa and her husband, journalist Shakil Ahmed, were arrested at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport on Aug 21, 2024, while allegedly attempting to leave the country.
They were later shown as arrested in a murder case filed at Adabor Police Station and were remanded twice for questioning.
The duo were also shown arrested in another murder case filed in Mirpur Police Station linked to the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, with both placed on a five-day remand.
After the case was filed, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station was given the responsibility of investigating the incident. Three days later, the case was handed over to the DB. Later, on Apr 18, 2012, the case was handed over to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
After the murder, the then home minister said that the mystery of the murderers would be unveiled within 48 hours; but the law enforcers have not been able to unravel it in over a decade.
After taking charge, RAB also sent several items from the crime scene, including clothes, to a US lab for DNA and other biometric tests. But the results have not been released yet.
The delay in the investigation process has created frustration and anxiety among the families and professionals of the slain journalist couple. Demands for speedy justice in the case have been raised from various quarters.
On Sept 30 last year, RAB was removed from the responsibility of investigating the case and at the same time the High Court formed a high-powered task force and set a six-month deadline for completing the investigation. The PBI is investigating the case under the taskforce.
