When power changed hands after the July 2024 Uprising, Saleha Monir allowed herself to hope once more. Perhaps, she thought, under an interim government, the mystery surrounding the deaths of her son, Sagar Sarwar, and her daughter-in-law, Meherun Runi, would finally be solved.
That hope did not last.
A year and a half on, the high-profile murder case remains unresolved. And now, as the interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus approaches the end of its tenure, Saleha and the family of Runi find themselves where they have been for 14 years-waiting.
There was no progress during the 12 years of the ousted Awami League government. The passage of time has only deepened the families' despair.
"I am a mother. I must demand justice for my child's killers. As long as I breathe, I will keep asking for justice," said Saleha.
On Feb 11, 2012, Sagar, news editor at Maasranga Television, and his wife, Runi, a senior reporter at ATN Bangla, were found murdered in their rented apartment in Dhaka's West Rajabazar. The killing of the journalist couple sent shockwaves across the country.
Runi's brother, Nausher Alam Roman, filed a murder case at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
At first, a sub-inspector from the station was assigned to investigate. Four days later, amid public outrage, the investigation of the sensational double murder was transferred to DB of DMP.
After more than two months, the DB failed to uncover the truth. On Apr 18, 2012, following a High Court order, responsibility for the investigation was handed over to RAB.
The RAB sent several items recovered from the crime scene, including a machete-like weapon and clothing, for DNA and other biometric tests. Some samples were even sent to laboratories in the United States. Yet, all these years later, the results have never been made public.
On Sept 30 last year, the RAB was removed from the investigation. The High Court ordered the formation of a high-powered task force, made up of experienced investigators from multiple agencies, and gave it six months to complete the probe.
On Oct 17, following the court's directive, the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a gazette notification forming the task force. The four-strong committee is headed by the chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
Four months later, there has been little sign of progress.
In total, courts have set deadlines for submitting the investigation report 124 times. The PBI has offered no reassurance.
Monday was the latest scheduled date for submitting the report. Once again, it was not filed.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam set Apr 1 as the new date for submission and ordered the investigating officer to appear in person to explain the delay.
Asked about the state of the probe, PBI Additional Superintendent of Police Md Azizul Haque, the investigating officer, said: "The case is under investigation. There is no significant progress to speak of. Whatever the outcome, good or bad, the investigation will reach what is correct."
Saleha said those words gave her little comfort.
"After this government came to power, I had many hopes regarding the case. But those hopes are gone. There is no hope left. What can I ask for? There is nothing left to ask. I don't know who will come to power next. I don't know who will deliver justice or who will not," she said.
"I have left justice in Allah's hands. But I can't abandon the hope for justice. It hurts to see date after date being set, with the investigation never ending. No matter which government comes, they keep setting dates. Why is the investigation not being completed-that is my question."
She said investigators had suggested to her that the killer might already be dead.
"How do they know whether the killer is dead or alive? Only Allah knows that."
She rejected the idea that the case was unsolvable.
"It's not that they are incapable. They have solved so-called clueless cases before. And they cannot solve this one? They say it has been a long time, they say many things. From their words, I sense negativity. It feels like they took the case just to create the illusion of action.
"What else can I say? There's nothing left to say. Now let's see what happens next."
Reflecting on the interim government's tenure, she said: "I had hoped that at least something would happen during the Yunus government. But I see it's the same story again. Whether justice will ever be served-only Allah knows."
For Nausher Alam Roman, the plaintiff in the case, the failure of successive governments has hardened his view.
"We had hoped that even if this government could not deliver justice, it would at least leave visible progress in the investigation. But nothing has happened, which is deeply disappointing."
He added that he suspected the involvement of powerful figures in a cover-up.
"I believed senior government officials and some intelligence agencies were involved. Otherwise, the truth would have come out long ago."
After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on Aug 5, 2024, he believed the interim authorities might finally act.
"Now it feels like the government itself is fully involved. That the murders were carried out through an intelligence agency. That is why this case will never reach a conclusion in Bangladesh."
Omar Faruq Faruqi, the public prosecutor at the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, said the case continued to raise serious questions.
"There are many questions in the public mind regarding the murder of journalists Sagar and Runi," he said. "From the state's side, we are treating the investigation with importance. We hope the investigation will be completed within a short time." �"bdnews24
