Zubeen death: Oppn questions Assam cops’ chargesheet as Singapore rules out foul play

Guwahati, Mar 25 (PTI) Opposition parties on Wednesday questioned the Assam police, which has slapped murder charges 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.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, however, maintained there was "no difference" between the Singapore conclusion and the state police's chargesheet, and it would "strengthen" the case here.

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 chargesheet 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".

A fast-track sessions court was notified on Tuesday to hear the case here on a day-to-day basis.

Reacting to the coroner's ruling on the sidelines of an election campaign meeting, Sarma on Wednesday said, "There is no difference between the Singapore judgement and our chargesheet... I think this judgment will strengthen our case..

He pointed out that the coroner said Garg had consumed alcohol, and the same thing was stated by the Assam police also. "The only thing we said was he was made to drink it," the CM added.

Further, the coroner's court said the singer had been drinking since the night before the incident, which was also concurred by Assam Police, Sarma said, adding. "We said Amrit Prabha (an accused) was making him drink as part of a conspiracy.".

The chief minister, who also holds the charge of the home department, said that he has been maintaining from the very beginning that the Assam Police would be able to do a better job in the case than the Singapore police.

"Some people were saying that Assam Police should have gone to Singapore. Had we gone there, what would have been our situation today? That we did the right thing has been proven by today's verdict," he maintained.

"Today, the people of Assam will understand how sincerely we have been working, staying away from politics. We would not have got the same result had we gone to Singapore. When the bank accounts are here, and the conspiracy was hatched here, what would we have done there?" the CM posed..

Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, however, asserted that people want to know the truth. "People demand the truth. The chief minister must now reveal whether the murderers have been punished or not," he said.

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.

Of the seven accused in judicial custody in the case, NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer's manager Siddharth Sharma, and his two band members, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta, are facing murder charges.

The singer's cousin and suspended Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg is charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Garg's two PSOs, Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, are also in jail, charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by misappropriating funds or property entrusted to them. PTI