Long wait for justice

Justice seems like a never-ending wait for the families of Sagar and Runi.

After the gruesome killing of the journalist couple, three investigators have already been changed. Ministers, and chiefs of different law enforcement agencies assured the families of arresting the killers and bringing them to justice.

Three years have elapsed but the proceedings of the trial are yet to start. Even the killers are yet to be identified.

The delay has not only frustrated the families whose hope for justice is fading, it also intensified their grief.

“We have waited long for justice,” said Nowsher Alam Roman, younger brother of Runi.

“We suspect that some influentials are behind the killing and the law enforcement agencies are either trying to protect them or it is totally their failure,” he said.

Meherun Runi, senior reporter of private TV channel ATN Bangla, and her husband Sagar Sarowar, news editor of another TV station Maasranga, were murdered in the bedroom at their West Rajabazar apartment on February 11, 2012.

The couple's only son Mahir Sarowar Megh, who was only five at that time, was in the apartment when the murder took place.

Over the years, the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation could not make any significant headway. Rather they came up with some empty rhetoric like “substantial progress”, “significant progress”, “investigating with sincerity”, and “will bring the killers into book soon”.

After investigation by Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police and detectives, Rapid Action Battalion is probing the incident since April 18, 2012.

The sensational double-murder drew widespread outrage and sparked violent protests among the journalist community.

The family, journalist community and people of all walks of life reacted with anger and frustration for the sluggish investigation.

Roman said Megh is now a class-two student. He has been studying well. Sometimes he sketches his parents and stares at their photographs blankly.

Although the then Home Minister Shahara Khatun, soon after the killing, declared that the killers would be arrested within 48 hours, the mystery behind the murder has remained unresolved.

The elite force probing the murder for over two and a half years has also apparently failed to unravel the mystery.

The force earlier repeatedly came up with a version that they might get clues about the killers after receiving the test reports of DNA samples being sent to two labs -- Independent Forensic Service and Pioneer Forensic in the USA.

Rab got the results of the samples that include the evidences in crime scene and the DNA of 21 people, including eight accused, on March 25, 2014. But they could not make any progress in finding or identifying the killers.

Talking to The Daily Star, Mufti Mahmud Khan, director at the Rab's legal and media wing, said the investigation was going on.

“We are now reviewing the findings of the DNA reports,” he said.

“The DNA samples of the evidences have not matched with the samples of the 21 people but it confirmed the presence of two unidentified males during the murder,” said Rab's investigation officer Wares Ali, also an assistant superintendent of police.

Wares also said they were working on the DNA samples of the two unidentified males.

The elite force submitted the progress report of their investigation five times to the court although it asked Rab to submit the progress report on 31 occasions, court sources said.

The eight accused are -- Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Miah, Masum Mintu, Kamrul Hasan alias Arun, Abu Sayeed, two security guards of the couple's house Palash Rudra Paul and Enamul Hoque and the couple's “family friend” Tanveer Rahman. Tanveer is on bail while others are behind bars now.