Judicial Panel to Probe Zubeen Garg`s Death: CM

way2barak, October 4: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said a judicial commission will be formed to probe the death of the state’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (I-T) Department are likely to join the Assam Police in investigating alleged organised financial crimes and acquisition of benami properties by event manager Shyamkanu Mahanta, an accused in the death of Garg.

Mr. Sarma, in a Facebook Live, said that the commission will be headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati High Court.

“We will form the commission tomorrow. Now, we request all the people who have any information or videos related to Zubeen Garg’s death to come forward and depose in front of the commission,” he added.

Garg died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. He had gone to the Southeast Asian nation to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival, organised by Shyamkanu Mahanta and his company.

The State CID is currently probing the case of Garg’s death after more than 60 FIRs have been lodged across the State against Mahanta, the chief organiser of the Northeast India Festival, where the singer had gone to perform, and almost 10 others.

Mr. Sarma further said, “Now, those who had shared different information related to Zubeen’s death on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, it is their duty to submit affidavits in front of the commission.”

“Now, the government requests members of the Assam Association of Singapore, who were accompanying the singer on the day of his death, to come forward and give their statement,” he said, adding that otherwise, it will have to take action against them.

Already, four people have been arrested in the case and sent to 14 days of police remand each.

A court in Assam on Friday sent Garg’s band members Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta to 14 days of police remand in connection with the death of the singer-composer.

Drummer Goswami and co-singer Mahanta were arrested on Thursday after days of interrogation. The two were present on the yacht in Singapore when Zubeen Garg died in front of them under suspicious circumstances.

Police have already invoked murder charges against Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, who were nabbed from Delhi on Wednesday. They are also in CID’s custody for 14 days.

Zubeen’s wife Garima recorded her statement in front of the CJM and submitted all relevant documents.

“We need justice as soon as possible. That is my prayer to the judicial system. I want to know what exactly happened that we lost him. We will cooperate with the law,” she told reporters outside the court.

During the day, three members of the festival organising team — Pankaj Adhikari, Pritam Talukdat and Krishanu Das — were summoned by the SIT for interrogation.