Rab questions ATN chairman : It collects interview of Megh

Rapid Action Battalion early Thursday went to the ATN Bangla headquarters and enquired its chairman Mahfuzur Rahman over the murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, the private TV station reports.

The elite force also collected a video cassette containing an interview of Megh, taken by ATN Bangla after his parents Sagar, a news editor of private TV channel Maasranga, and Runi, a senior reporter of ATN Bangla, were killed on February 11.

"After Sagar and Runi were murdered, our crime reporter went there and, along with the deputy commissioner (DC) of Tejgaon zone, interviewed Megh. Other TV channels do not have this interview, today (Thursday) we handed it over to Rab," ATN Bangla quoted Mahfuzur as saying.

"They [Rab] questioned me and wanted to know what information we [ATN Bangla] have about Sagar and Runi,” he said.

Commander M Sohail, Rab's media and legal wing director, who led the investigation team in ATN, said "Recently we were informed that ATN Bangla has a video footage of Megh's interview. We were interested to see that. We collected it this morning along with other footage taken by ATN Bangla following the murder."

"Not only ATN Bangla, we have also collected video footage of reports on the murder from other TV channels," he added.

He said the investigation into the murder made much progress and the video footage will help them go further, the Rab commander said.

To Rab’s inquiry about his recent derogatory remark on Sagar and Runi in London, Rahman claimed that at a press-briefing broadcast live from the ATN Bangla HQ in London, a person claiming himself a local newspaper's manager, aggressively questioned him regarding the killings and alleged that Rahman was involved in the murder.

In reply, Rahman told the Rab men that he had mentioned some reports on the killings carried out by different media.

He alleged that some TV channels intentionally selected parts of what he quoted and tried to establish those as Rahman's own statements.

He said that the questions thrown at him were part of a plot hatched by a vested quarter who wanted to defame him and his renowned TV channel.

"A party targeted me, hatched a plot and hurled disgusting questions. Angered by such questions, I was forced to make those remarks and that was not intentional,” he said.

He claimed that journalists across the country misunderstood his comments and it bred an unpleasant situation.