Guwahati, Mar 25 (PTI) Opposition parties on Wednesday questioned the Assam police, which has slapped a murder charge against several accused in the death of Zubeen Garg, after the Singapore Police Coast Guard’s finding ruling out foul play in the singer’s demise was upheld by a coroner there.
The state coroner in Singapore found that Garg’s death was “simply due to an unfortunate and tragic accidental drowning” and that no one had forced, coerced or pushed him into the water.
Following the development, the opposition parties in poll-bound Assam maintained that the “mystery” behind Garg’s death on September 19 last year has remained unsolved, particularly with investigating agencies in India and Singapore arriving at different conclusions in the same case.
Directly addressing a concern raised by Garg’s wife about the Singapore Police Coast Guard’s finding that there was no foul play, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said the PCG had conducted a comprehensive and thorough investigation in this case.
Garg (52) had been intoxicated, and this likely impaired his judgment in his decisions, said Nakhoda.
The singer-composer drowned while swimming off Lazarus Island in September last year, a day before he was slated to perform at the North East India Festival in Singapore.
Shortly after the coroner’s verdict, Garg’s uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur posted on Facebook: “Many are using Zubeen’s name to sway voters to a specific direction in this election season. I urge them not to do so. Because, during his lifetime, these same people had ignored Zubeen.
Assembly elections in Assam will he held on April 9.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Assam Police’s CID probed the death and filed its charge sheet before a local court here in December, naming seven accused. Four of them are facing murder charges.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the state Assembly in November that Garg’s death was a case of “plain and simple murder”.
Reacting to the coroner’s ruling, Congress MP Rakibul Hussain said, “People demand the truth. The chief minister must now reveal whether the murderers have been punished or not.” Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) leader Chittaranjan Basumatary said that the “mystery behind Garg’s death remaining unsolved was unfortunate”. He questioned how the investigation system of two countries can come out with different results in the same case.
“The chief minister had asked the people to vote for him only if he could ensure justice for Zubeen. Let’s see how he can ensure it after so much delay now,” Basumatary added.
A fast-track sessions court was notified on Tuesday to hear the case here on a day-to-day basis. PTI SSG SSG NSD
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