Bangladesh Task Force links former officer and cultural figure to Sagar-Runi murder

A high-level task force investigating the 2012 murders of journalists Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi has identified former military officer Ziaul Ahsan and cultural figure Rokeya Prachir as being involved in the case. The findings were presented to the High Court by the prosecution on Tuesday.

The investigation follows a directive from the High Court to replace the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) with a specialized task force under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The task force had previously requested several extensions to complete its report, with the most recent deadlines spanning through April 2025.

The journalists, Sagar Sarwar of Machranga Television and Meherun Runi of ATN Bangla, were found murdered in their rented apartment in West Rajabazar, Dhaka, on February 12, 2012. The case has undergone multiple investigations by local police, the Detective Branch (DB), and RAB over the past 14 years without a final report being submitted until now.