Sagar-Runi murder case: PBI to question Ziaul, Mashiur

The Police Bureau of Investigation, or PBI has been granted permission to question dismissed army officer Ziaul Ahsan and Mashiur Rahman, former additional deputy inspector general, or DIG, over the murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Nahar Runi in 2012.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Imran Ahmed approved the interrogation on Jan 8, following a request by the PBI.

The application to interrogate them was submitted by PBI Additional Superintendent of Police Azizul Haque the same day.

The investigating officer told bdnews24.com, “As part of the ongoing investigation, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, the former president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, has been questioned. However, Ziaul and Mashiur have not yet been interrogated but are expected to be questioned shortly at the jail gate.”

Ziaul was relieved of his duties on Aug 6, 2024, following a series of high-level reshuffles in the army after the political changeover. Prior to his removal, he served as the director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center, or NTMC, a key national telecommunications monitoring agency.

On the night of Aug 15, 2024, police arrested Ziaul in Khilkhet, based on a case filed at Dhaka’s New Market Police Station. He was charged with the killing of hawker Shahjahan during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement. Since then, he has been implicated in multiple cases and is currently in jail.

In connection with the murder case filed at Dhaka’s New Market Police Station, Mashiur was arrested on Sept 19, 2024. The former deputy commissioner of the Detective Branch, or DB, of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police had served at the Gulshan Division for an extended period.

However, he was transferred from the Gulshan Division and reassigned to the Lalbagh Division (Intelligence) in 2022.

Later, Ziaul was promoted to the position of additional DIG. Following the fall of the government, he was reassigned to the Chittagong Range DIG office from the DB.

On Feb 11, 2012, journalist couple Sagar and Runi were murdered in their rented home in West Rajabazar, Dhaka. 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.

However, the investigation report has yet to be submitted, with the deadline for its submission to the court having been postponed 114 times. The court has now set Jan 27 as the final date for the report’s submission.

Following the fall of the Awami League government in the mass movement, the Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, was removed from the investigation of the case on Sept 30, 2024. On the same day, the High Court established a high-powered task force and set a six-month deadline for the investigation’s completion.

Three weeks later, on Oct 23, 2024, the government formed its own task force to expedite the investigation into the murder case.

In the circular issued by the home ministry, it was said: “The task force will submit its report to the High Court within six months. The task force may co-opt members if necessary.”

On the night of Sagar and Runi’s murder in 2012, their only child, 5-year-old Mahir Sarowar Megh, was present in the flat. According to police reports, he stated that there were two killers.

In the wake of the high-profile murder, then-home minister Sahara Khatun had ordered the arrest of the perpetrators within 48 hours. However, despite the passage of many years, the case remains unsolved.

Following the murder, Runi’s brother, Nausher, filed a case at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station in Dhaka. A total of eight individuals were arrested at various points in connection with the case, with two of them later granted bail.

The individuals arrested in connection with the murder of Sagar and Runi include Runi’s friend Tanvir Rahman, security guard Enam Ahmed, also known as Humayun Kabir, Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Mintu alias Bargira Mintu or Masum Mintu, Kamrul Hasan Arun, Palash Rudra Pal, Tanvir, and Abu Sayeed.

Initially, the investigation into the murder was handled by Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. However, after four days, the case was transferred to the Detective Branch.

Later, when the DB was unable to crack the case, the investigation was taken over by the RAB on the orders of the High Court on Apr 18, 2012.

After taking charge of the investigation, the RAB sent several items from the crime scene, including clothes and materials for biometric testing, to a laboratory in the United States. However, the results of these tests have yet to be released.

The prolonged delay in the investigation has sparked frustration and anxiety among the families and colleagues of the murdered journalist couple. Calls for swift justice in the case have been made by various groups and individuals.

Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal had previously promised multiple times to solve the case, but those promises did not come to pass.

Following the formation of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus after the fall of the Hasina-led administration, Law Advisor Asif Nazrul assured the public that the Sagar-Runi murder would be brought to trial. He emphasised that if the trial did not proceed, those responsible would be held accountable to the nation.

Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, speaking at a programme on Sept 21, 2024, expressed his concerns, stating: “We have seen that more than a hundred delays have already occurred in submitting the investigation report on the sensational Sagar-Runi murder. This cannot be acceptable.”

He further noted, “If the investigation takes more than one year, it becomes very difficult to conduct the trial of that case, as many witnesses and testimonies are lost over time.”