A Dhaka court has set August 27 as the new deadline for submitting the investigation report in the sensational murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi. This marks the 128th extension of the deadline. The investigation officer failed to file the report by the previously scheduled date, prompting Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam to allow a plea from the prosecution and set the new date.
Sagar and Runi were brutally murdered at their rented flat in West Rajabazar, Dhaka, on February 11, 2012, in the presence of their four-year-old son. Runi's brother filed the case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. The investigation was initially handled by the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police but was later transferred to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Despite multiple extensions, RAB failed to submit the investigation report. On September 30, 2024, the High Court ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs to form a high-powered task force to investigate the case, removing RAB from the probe. The task force, formed on October 23, 2024, was given six months to submit its findings, a deadline later extended by another six months by the High Court on April 26, 2026.
The repeated delays in submitting the investigation report have raised concerns about the progress of the case. The journalist community and the public await the findings of the task force, hoping for justice for the slain couple.
The Sagar-Runi murder case remains one of the most high-profile unsolved cases in Bangladesh, drawing attention to the challenges in investigating crimes against journalists and the need for thorough and timely investigations.
