Nothing’s impossible in Bangladesh except for getting justice. How else can you explain there being no justice even after twelve and a half years of a murder? Is this just incompetence of the people concerned or is there some other mystery behind this?
Journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi were murdered at home in West Rajabazar area of the capital on 11 February 2012. Sagar used to work at private television channel Maasranga Television and Runi worked at ATN Bangla at that time. Runi’s brother Nowsher Alam as the plaintiff had filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station in the capital in connection to Sagar-Runi murder.
At first this case was being investigated by the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station. After four days, the responsibility of investigating the case was transferred to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)’s Detective Branch (DB).
And after 62 days of taking over charge of investigating the case, DB acknowledged their failure at the High Cpourt on 18 April 2012. The court then gave an order for the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to investigate the case. The case was being investigated by RAB since then and has delayed the date of report submission 111 times.
Right after the incident of Sagar-Runi murder, the then home minister Sahara Khatun had said that the murderers will be brought to justice within 48 hours. Though several ministers have been in charge of the home ministry since then, there has been no progress in the investigation of Sagar-Runi murder case.
In response to an appeal seeking amendment of previous High Court order in context of failure on RAB”s part, a High Court bench consisted of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub-Ul-Islam on this Monday (30 September 2024) gave an order to form a high-powered taskforce with experienced members of different agencies to investigate Sagar-Runi murder case. At the same time, a report has been asked to be submitted at the court within six months after conducting the investigation.
Notably, in context of a writ petition, RAB was given charge of investigating the case in an order of the High Court on 18 April 2012. On Monday the appeal was submitted at the High Court on behalf of the home secretary seeking an amendment of this order to transfer the case to RAB for investigation. The Court has set up 6 April of next year as the date for passing the next order.
We welcome this order of the High Court. At the same time, we want to be hopeful that the taskforce would finish the investigation work of the Sagar-Runi murder case within the stipulated time that has been proposed and clear the path for justice.
After the Sagar-Runi murder, the whole journalist community had come together, forgetting all their differences, to protest. But later we noticed with astonishment that the movement stopped all of a sudden. It was stated from some quarters that the government cannot be made uneasy by continuing with the movement.
Justice cannot be expected of those who don’t even have the sense about when the government gets uneasy and when it rejoices. The investigation being pending for years at end has not only questioned the people or agencies concerned, but also the policy makers of the government.
Despite repeated promises, the ministers of Awami League could not finish the investigation of Sagar-Runi murder case. Not just this case, the investigation of many other sensational cases remains halted for mysterious reasons.
Hopefully, the interim government will finish the investigation of Sagar-Runi murder case within speculated time and relieve the nation of the culture of injustice. At the same time, those who have been causing delays in the name of investigating the Sagar-Runi murder case for so long must be held accountable.