A year after Sagar-Runi murder

A year ago on this day, little Mihir Sarowar Megh was calling his grandmother on phone after finding both his parents murdered in their bedroom. He was just six and taken in by the shock and awe.

Staff CorrespondentKamal Talukder bdnews24.com
Published : 11 Feb 2013, 06:25 AM
Updated : 11 Feb 2013, 09:31 AM

It has been a year since Maasranga Television News Editor Sagar Sarowar and ATN Bangla Senior Reporter Meherun Runi were stabbed to death .

The murder outraged the nation, as police , detectives and political bigwigs turned up at the couple's West Razabazar residence, promising speedy justice.

Nothing happened. Ministers gave different versions of the Sagar-Runi murder, several suspects have been picked up but the breakthrough is still not in sight. Clearly no Sherlock Holmes in Bangladesh.

Frustrated by the lack of progress in investigations, journalists have finally taken to the streets , announcing a whole day 'no work' on March 11 .

The Home Ministry claimed credit for cracking into the case, producing a list of eight killers they say have been identified. Neither journalists nor family members of the victim found the version credible.

The police detectives gave up when they failed to crack the case. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) who took over have not succeeded either.
Erstwhile Home Minister Shahara Khatun, while visiting residence of the slain journalists , had thundered that the killers would be identified and arrested within 48 hours.
Next day, she reiterated the tall boast again.
On Feb 13, 2012, the Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmud Khandker claimed ‘significant’ development in the probe, promising the nation a ‘positive’ news soon.
Three days later, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s spokesperson Monirul Islam had said suspects included people of different professional backgrounds, who were under watch .
But the police got nowhere and finally admitted failure. The High Court handed over the probe to the RAB .
Discontent continued to brew among people, especially among journalists, who gave the current Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir a deadline to arrest the killers.
Just before that deadline expired in October last year, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir claimed the arrest of eight people for the murder.
They were Tanvir Rahman, whom police identified as family friend of Sagar and Runi , one of the two guards to the residence Polash Rudra Paul, and Rofiqul Islam, Bokul Miah, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Hasan Arun and Md Sayeed, all identified by the RAB as belonging to a gang of professional criminals.
Five of these criminals were accused in the killing of Dr. Narayan Chandra Datta Nitai. Police described them as professional killers . gang.
The same day Runi’s brother Golam Nowsher Roman said Tanvir was never their family friend.
“I had never seen Tanvir before. I had never heard his name from my sister,” Roman said.
The second absconding guard Humayun alias Enamul was arrested on Feb 9 this year. RAB claimed Enamul was arrested from Bahmanbaria on his way to Srimangal from Dhaka.
Enamul had been picked up by the detectives immediately after the murder and then strangely let off .
After taking charge of investigation in Apr last year, RAB sent DNA samples of 16 people to USA, including the DNA sample of Megh.
Yet, there is no breakthrough .
Runy’s brother Roman is frustrated over the failure. The family feels the real killers are either shielded or clearly out of sight of the investigators -- only stories are being made up for public consumption.
“RAB is using latest technology to crack this sensational case. We should not expect that it will end soon, ” RAB Director General Mokhlesur Rahman said.
He claimed getting important clues by using technology, but did not elaborate on those. As many as 127 people were questioned during the probe.