New Delhi: The Congress has written to President Droupadi Murmu, urging that the CBI assist Assam’s CID in investigating the death of popular singer and cultural icon Zubeen Garg, whose passing plunged the state into deep mourning.
In a letter to the President, the Leader of Opposition in the Assam assembly, Debabrata Saikia, claimed there was “substantial evidence” to suggest that Garg may have been murdered for opposing certain policies of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government.
Saikia pointed out that Garg had not only opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but had also consistently spoken out against environmental destruction and criticised the state government for what he described as its “patronising of anti-Assamese elements”.
Separately, Assam Congress spokesperson Reetam Singh questioned the state government’s announcement that it was blacklisting Shyamkanu Mahanta, the organiser of the Northeast Festival in Singapore, where Garg was due to perform.
On Wednesday, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which met in Patna, also adopted a resolution expressing sorrow at Garg’s demise, describing him as a “true ambassador of India’s multicultural and multilingual heritage” and “an inspiring symbol of unity in today’s socio-political climate, marked by division, hate and polarisation.”
Garg, 52, died in Singapore on 19 September while on a yacht trip to St John’s Island with members of the Assamese community. A death certificate issued by Singapore authorities attributed his demise to “drowning”.
The passing away of Garg, who enjoyed stratospheric popularity in Assam and other northeastern states, cast a pall of gloom over the region. His funeral drew lakhs of mourners, leaving much of the rest of India—largely unaware of his phenomenal following—stunned by the outpouring of emotion.
Garg agreed to travel under ‘significant pressure’
In his letter to the President, Saikia, the son of former Assam chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, said Garg had told his close associates that he had not volunteered to travel but had done so under “significant pressure” and with a limited number of companions—a departure from his usual travel pattern.
Saikia accused Mahanta of making contradictory statements that amounted to either deliberate deception or criminal negligence. He alleged: “Pre-incident promotional materials indicated Zubeen Garg would participate in the festival, but post-incident, Mahanta claimed Garg came to Singapore only to rest. There are additional contradictions, such as initial claims about scuba diving later changed to swimming, and a denial of knowledge about the yacht outing that led to the fatal swimming incident.”
He also questioned why Garg was allowed to swim without a life jacket despite a documented history of seizure disorder that, he said, should have precluded water activities. Saikia added: “The sequence of events reveals systematic planning: pre-departure coercion, restricted companion travel, isolation without family protection for his medical condition, contradictory statements from the organiser, an unknown yacht trip, encouragement of dangerous water activities, and the resulting fatal seizure. The timing, following years of fearless political opposition, suggests a calculated elimination of Assam’s most powerful voice of resistance.”
On Wednesday, the chief minister, who was actively involved in Garg’s last rites, said the state government would not “spare anyone” found guilty. He instructed the state director general of police to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and to send Garg’s viscera samples to the Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL), Delhi, for detailed examination.
Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi has also demanded a CBI probe into Garg’s death. Several Assamese celebrities have voiced suspicion about the circumstances and demanded an independent and thorough investigation.
(Edited by Shashank Kishan)
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