HC Orders RAB’s Removal from Sagar-Runi Murder Investigation

The High Court on Monday directed the formation of a high-level task force to take over the investigation into the unsolved murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, a case that has remained unresolved for 12 years.

The court ordered the Home Ministry to implement the decision, effectively removing the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from further involvement in the investigation.

The order was issued by a High Court bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam, following a petition filed on behalf of the Home Ministry.

Deputy Attorney General Barrister Redwan Ahmed confirmed the court's directive, stating that this move is aimed at advancing the investigation, which has seen little progress since the murder occurred in 2012.

On Sunday, advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir was appointed as the new lawyer to lead the case. Nowsher Roman, the brother of Meherun Runi, the plaintiff, expressed hope that Monir’s involvement would help uncover the mystery behind the killings.

"We will work diligently to solve this case," said advocate Shishir Monir. "A meeting with the investigating officers will be held soon, and we will pursue the legal battle both in the lower and higher courts."

The submission deadline for the investigation report has been extended 113 times, with the next hearing scheduled for October 15.

Sagar Sarowar, news editor at Maasranga Television, and Meherun Runi, senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were brutally murdered in their rented West Rajabazar apartment in Dhaka on the night of February 11, 2012. Their only son, Mahir Sarowar Megh, who was five years old at the time, was present in the house during the killings.

Runi's brother, Nowsher Ali Roman, filed a murder case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. Initially, the case was handled by the police, then transferred to the Detective Branch (DB), and later handed over to RAB on April 18, 2012, after DB's failure to make significant progress.

Several arrests were made in connection with the case, including Tanvir Rahman, who was detained on October 1, 2012, but later granted bail in 2014. Seven other suspects—Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Abu Syed, Mintu alias Baggira Mintu alias Masum Mintu, Quamrul Hasan alias Arun, security guard Enam Ahmed alias Humayun Kabir, and Palash Rudra Pal—were also implicated, with some still in jail.

RAB's involvement in the investigation spanned years, with the appointment of Khandaker Md. Shafiqul Alam as the seventh investigation officer in July 2019. However, with the new High Court order, a fresh approach is expected under the task force.