Request to exclude RAB from investigating Sagar-Rooney murder case
September 30, 20242 Mins Read

Jumbangla Desk: The state has requested to remove the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from the investigation into the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Mehrun Rooney.

The application was made in the High Court bench headed by Justice Farah Mahbub on Monday morning. At the same time, a three-member task force under the Ministry of Home Affairs has been asked to investigate the incident. A hearing is scheduled to take place later today.

The submission of the investigation report in this case has been postponed 113 times so far. RAB Additional Superintendent of Police Khandaker Shafiqul Alam failed to submit the report on September 9, Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Hakim Md. Mahbubul Haque fixed October 15 as the new date for submitting the inquiry report.

Meanwhile, the plaintiff has appointed lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir to handle the murder case under discussion. On Sunday, Mehrun Rooney's brother Nausher Roman, the plaintiff in the case, informed the matter and said that from now on, lawyer Shishir Monir will fight the legal battle to uncover the real mystery of the Sagar-Rooney murder case.

Shishir Monir said, through PBI we will start working to unravel the mystery of Sagar-Rooney's murder. As part of this, there will be a very quick meeting with the investigating officers. At the same time, we will continue the legal battle in the lower court and high court to unravel the mystery of the murder.

On February 11, 2012, journalist couple Sagar-Runi was murdered in a rented house in West Rajabazar of the capital. Their only son five-year-old Mahir Sarwar Megh was at home at the time. Sagar worked in private television channel Machranga TV and Rooney in ATN Bengali. In connection with the murder, Rooney's brother Nowsher Alam Roman filed a murder case with the Sherebangla Nagar police station.

First, the case was investigated by the Sherebangla Nagar police station. After that, as a sensational murder case, its investigation was given to the Dhaka Metropolitan DB Police. After more than two months of investigation, DB failed to solve the mystery. Later, on April 18, 2014, the investigation of the murder case was entrusted to the RAB on the orders of the High Court. There are eight accused in the case including Rooney's alleged friend Tanveer Rahman.

Two courts earlier expressed displeasure over the delay in submitting the report. Earlier on March 2, 2020, RAB submitted the progress report of the murder case to the High Court. The report said. Two unknown men were involved in this murder. Their DNA was found to be similar to the cloth used by Sagar-runi. On the night of February 11, 2012, Sagar Sarwar, the news editor of Machranga Television and Mehrun Rooney, the senior reporter of ATN Bengal, were brutally murdered at their residence in West Rajabazar of the capital. Two were stabbed to death. Their mutilated bodies were recovered early the next morning.