Guwahati: Respecting the growing anguish and demand for a probe of the mysterious death of legendary singer Zubeen Garg, the Assam government has called a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter. Talking to the media, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the government will do a fair investigation of the entire matter so that no doubt remains in the minds of crores of fans and followers of the beloved singer.
He assured a proper investigation into the matter and said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Assam Police will do the investigation properly adding that if people of Assam are not satisfied with the SIT investigation, the case will be transferred to the CBI by the government.
“If the people of Assam feel that the SIT has not done the investigation properly, then we will be ready to transfer the case to the CBI. The SIT will have full freedom to investigate the case with complete professional integrity. We will have to wait for some time; all people who were present in Singapore, along with Zubeen Garg, will be questioned,” he said.
CM Sarma’s comments came shortly after the state formed an SIT to probe the “suspicious” and “tragic” demise of the late singer.
According to Assam DGP Harmeet Singh, the SIT will be headed by Special DGP (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta and comprises some of the best officials of Assam police.
It should be mentioned that youth icon Zubeen Garg passed away in Singapore on September 19 after an alleged drowning incident. He was there to attend a cultural event on 21st September. But on 19th morning Zubeen Garg along with a group of people went for a private party in a yacht organised by a group of people from Assam residing in Singapore. In some viral video it was seen that the singer was swimming in the sea with the group without a life jacket. Zubeen was not physically fit to swim in the sea as he was under medical treatment due to his health condition.
The death certificate issued by the Singapore hospital where he was taken for treatment after he fell unconscious during the yacht party clearly mentioned that the cause of his death was drowning. Back home in Assam lakhs of his fans and leading personalities were demanding for an investigation of his mysterious death. Accepting the emotions of the people the Assam government has constituted the SIT which has begun the investigation. The men in question are his manager Sidharth Sharma, organiser of Northeast Festival in Singapore Shyam Kanu Mahanta and other people who were there at the time of his demise. No arrests have been made by SIT so far.
Zubeen’s body was flown back to Guwahati on 21st September. His final rites were carried out in the Kamarkuchi village near Guwahati on September 23 with full state honour, in the presence of thousands of his fans, his family members, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Sarbananda Sonowal, Pabitra Margherita and other political leaders. Assam is still mourning the untimely demise of the most loved singer and the anger against some people who took him to Singapore without proper medical care are growing day by day. Many organisations including AASU, AJYCP, Lachit Sena etc have written to the CM for a proper investigation of the death. A PIL has been filed in Guwahati High Court for an judicial investigation of the mysterious death of Zubeen Garg. His fans have lodged over 60 FIRs against the organisers of Northeast Festival in Singapore stating them responsible for the untimely death of the beloved singer.
