Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that if the Assamese people in Singapore, who were on the yacht with singer Zubeen Garg at the time of his death, do not cooperate with the investigation, the police will not be able to “piece together” the full picture. Sarma also urged the people of Assam to pressure the Assamese community in Singapore to come to India and cooperate with the investigation.
Zubeen Garg was found dead under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19. The singer and several Assamese people living in Singapore were present on the yacht at the time. Garg had gone there to participate in the fourth North East India Festival, organized by Shyamkanu Mahanta and his company. The Chief Minister explained that the Assam Police cannot travel to Singapore, so the investigation cannot be conducted there. “They (Assamese people in Singapore) are there, and it does not fall under my jurisdiction. Unless they come here, no one will be able to conduct a thorough investigation,” he said.
Assam Police and CID Action
The state CID, which is investigating Garg’s death, has issued notices to some members of the Singapore Association to appear for the investigation by October 6. The Chief Minister said that Assamese people, whose parents live in Assam, should pressure their children to appear for the investigation. More than 60 FIRs have been filed across the state in Garg’s case so far against approximately 10 people, including Shyamkanu Mahanta, his manager Siddharth Sharma, band members Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, and Amit Prabha Mahanta. Four people have already been arrested and are on 14-day police remand.
Sarma said that some people have already written that they cannot come, but they have a responsibility as Assamese. Bringing people in through the law is a different matter, but public pressure can speed up the process. He also warned that if they do not come by October 6, a new round of investigation will have to be initiated.
Poisoning Claim and Viscera Report in Investigation
Regarding reports that the singer’s drummer, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, had made this claim to the police, the Chief Minister said that many things would come to light during the investigation. He stated that the viscera report would be available on October 10th, and the actual situation would become clear on October 11th. He clarified that the poisoning statement was not from the police, but from an accused. “The question now is why did he make such a statement? Was it for his own protection or to blame someone else—these things will emerge during the investigation,” he said.
Judicial Commission Established in Singapore Case
On Friday, the Assam government established a single judicial commission headed by Justice Sumitra Saikia of the Guwahati High Court to investigate Garg’s death. The Chief Minister said that the active High Court judge would also have the opportunity to monitor the ongoing CID investigation in this high-profile case. He said, “This will be an organization that will preserve evidence, and if they find we’re doing something wrong, the judicial commission will be able to take action against us. It will be a completely independent commission.” The Chief Minister also claimed that never before in Assam has a sitting judge been entrusted with investigating a case.
