THE unresolved murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi is one of the many cases that contributed to public perception that the legal system was working to protect partisan interests of the deposed Awami League government. The couple was found dead in their flat in Dhaka on February 11, 2012. As the investigation agency failed to submit the report, a Dhaka magistrates court on January 27 extended the report submission deadline for the 115th time. The investigation changed hands three times since the murders. The Detective Branch stepped in after the police had worked for a couple of days, the Rapid Action Battalion took over in April 2012 and after the fall of the AL regime, a high-powered task force set up on October 23, 2024 on a High Court directive took over. The directive generated hopes among journalists that the task force would finish the investigation by the stipulated time. Since then, a number of advisers to the interim government have assured that they will give the case the 鈥榟ighest priority鈥�. But for the formation of the task force, no significant progress has been reported.
The murder case is, however, not the only case that has remained unresolved for decades. In September 2024, eminent citizens urged the interim government for the speedy trial of the murder case of Tanwir Muhammad Taqi, found dead two days after he was allegedly abducted on March 8, 2013. Despite statements made in court by two of the suspects that a son of the late Jatiya Party lawmaker and nephew of the former Awami League lawmaker planned and executed the murder, the investigation was stalled and it was alleged that the deposed prime minister supported killers of Taqi. The court concerned has set a date for the submission of the charge sheet for at least 60 times and the investigation agency has recently denied its own findings that they have no conclusive evidence, lending credence to the victim family鈥檚 claim that the law enforcement agencies are covering up crime instead of bringing criminals to justice. A similar experience is recounted by the family of Sohagi Jahan Tanu, raped and murdered inside the Cumilla cantonment in March 2016. The delay in the legal process in all such cases leaves the families of the victims being denied justice. Public perception is that the law enforcement agencies intentionally delayed investigation to protect the suspects possibly linked with the then ruling quarters. The delayed process, therefore, contributed to the declining public trust in the legal system.
The interim government should, therefore, remain true to its words and expand the scope of the investigation to identify the people who allegedly interfered and delayed the process and, thus, expeditiously establish justice in the cases of Sagar and Runi, Taqi, Tanu, Kalpana Chakma, and others.
