Staff Correspondent

People put in jail in the Sagar-Runi murder case have confessed to the involvement of higher officials from the Awami League (AL) government in the heinous crime about 13 years ago, the plaintiff’s lawyer said on High Court premises on Tuesday.

A special taskforce investigating the case have extracted valuable information about the involvement of AL regime’s high officials in the murder of the journalist couple and is expected to submit its probe report on 4 April, ending nearly 13 years of wait for the victim’s families, Supreme Court Advocate Shishir Monir told reporters.

On 23 October, the home ministry formed a four-member high-profile taskforce to investigate the case following an order from the High Court, in this regard.

The taskforce has learned of intervention into previous probes by higher officials of the Awami League government to mislead, or halt the proceedings, Shishir Monir said quoting taskforce officials. The taskforce has learned of many other critical information that could not be unearthed in earlier probes, potentially due to intervention by vested “higher powers.”

The advocate did not elaborate on the taskforce’s findings for protecting the integrity of trial processes.

On 11 February 2012, Maasranga Television News Editor Sagar Sarowar and ATN Bangla Senior Correspondent Meherun Runi were murdered in their rented apartment at Paschim Rajabazar in the capital.

Afterwards, Runi’s brother Nowsher Alam Roman filed a murder case with the Sher-E-Bangla Nagar Police Station. After more than a decade of controversial case proceedings, Nowsher is hoping for a fair trial under the current interim government, he said at the High Court on Tuesday.

He also alleged Sheik Hasina government for the murder as the government almost deliberately tried to mislead the case.

Mahir Sarwar Megh, son of the journalist couple, also aired hopes of learning the truth about the murder during the interim government’s tenure.