For 13 years, the families and colleagues of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi have been waiting for justice. Despite the long passage of time, authorities have yet to identify or prosecute those responsible for their brutal murders. Following a change in government, the interim administration formed a task force, giving investigators six months to solve the case. However, even after three months of inquiry, no significant progress has been reported.

So far, 62 individuals—including former military and police officers, journalist leaders, and television channel owners—have been questioned, yet no substantial leads have emerged. The case has seen 115 delays in submitting the investigation report to the court.

Relatives accuse the previous Awami League government of deliberately stalling the investigation to suppress the truth. While they acknowledge the task force as a positive step, they remain skeptical until concrete results are seen. They insist that the real perpetrators must be identified without fabricating false narratives.

Mustafa Kamal, the acting chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) and head of the task force, stated that all individuals believed to have relevant information had been interrogated. However, testimonies were vague and based on hearsay rather than solid evidence. Despite this, investigators are pursuing multiple avenues to uncover the truth. If necessary, they will request an extension of the investigation period.

Among those questioned were Major General (Retd.) Ziaul Ahsan, former Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police officer Moshiur Rahman, journalist leaders Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, ATN Bangla chairman Mahfuzur Rahman, his brother Maksudur Rahman, journalist J E Mamun, and several of Sagar-Runi’s colleagues and family members.

Mahfuzur Rahman had previously claimed in a 2012 press conference in London that the murders were linked to an extramarital affair and alleged that drinking parties were held at the couple’s residence. His remarks sparked controversy, with journalist Omar Faruq suggesting at the time that Mahfuzur Rahman and his relatives were widely suspected of involvement. However, when questioned recently, Mahfuzur Rahman expressed regret, stating that he made those claims out of frustration and that they were not true.

Some speculated that the murders were linked to classified government documents that the couple had allegedly recorded, but no such footage has been found.

Runi’s brother, Nawsher Alam Roman, expressed cautious optimism about the new investigation but stressed that only factual evidence should be considered. Sagar’s mother, Saleha Monir, dismissed theories of robbery, arguing that the nature of the killings suggested deep personal animosity.

The murders occurred on February 11, 2012, when police discovered the mutilated bodies of Sagar, news editor of Maasranga Television, and Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, in their apartment in Dhaka’s West Rajabazar.

Maasranga’s chief editor, Rezwanul Haque Raja, suggested that the previous government may have shielded influential figures, preventing an impartial investigation. With a new administration in place, he sees no reason for further delays in identifying the killers.

The case was initially handled by the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police but was transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) after four days. After 62 days, DB admitted failure, and on April 18, 2012, the High Court assigned the case to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). RAB later attempted a re-examination of the bodies, collecting forensic samples. The agency later implicated several suspects, including individuals arrested in separate robbery cases, Runi’s acquaintance Tanvir Rahman, and security guards of the building.

In 2023, former law minister Anisul Huq controversially stated that investigators should be given unlimited time, even “50 years if necessary,” to identify the real culprits. His remarks drew public backlash, especially given the previous government’s 48-hour promise to apprehend the killers.

Due to the lack of progress under the Awami League administration, there were growing demands for an independent investigation. On October 23, 2024, the Home Ministry established a four-member task force, led by PBI. The task force took over the case on November 4 and is expected to submit its report by April 4, 2025.

Earlier forensic efforts included sending key evidence—such as the murder weapons, the victims’ clothing, and bindings used on Sagar—to a U.S. laboratory. DNA samples of suspects were also analyzed abroad, but no definitive matches were found.