Several Injured, Vehicles Torched as Police Transfer Accused in Zubeen Garg Death Case

On Wednesday, violence erupted outside a district jail in Assam in the process of transferring five individuals who were arrested in connection with the murder of a singer, Zubeen Garg and an irate mob participated in stone hurling and vehicle burning, which forced the police to use batons and tear-gas to put the situation under control, officials reported.

The violence outside the Baksa district jail made many people, including security personnel and journalists, to be injured, according to the police.

The number of vehicles that were set afire was not immediately evident, but mediapersons on the ground said that three police vehicles and one that was a personal TV channel vehicle were burned down.

Officers also said that approximately 100 individuals had assembled outside the jail in order to observe during the transfer of the accused being arrested. There are no individuals who are in charge of the violence as per the police.

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The government put bans on Mushalpur town and the district jail and suspended internet and mobile data services indefinitely throughout the district.

Police reported that by Wednesday evening, normalcy had been brought in the places around the jail.“We had to resort to force to control the situation. Additional force has been deployed to maintain law and order,” Akhilesh Singh, IGP (law and order) said. The extent of the damage is being assessed, he said.

Wednesday morning saw five individuals accused in relation to the death of Garg being brought to the Guwahati court and remanded under 14 days judicial custody including his manager. When they were being moved at about 2pm to Baksa, almost 100 kilometres away, hundreds of people came out of the newly opened district jail.

The violence was condemned by Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

“The incident outside Baksa jail is very unfortunate...I urge everyone to have faith in police and the judicial system to ensure justice,” the CM said in Delhi. Sarma is slated to meet Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar and home minister Amit Shah on the issue. “Certain forces in Assam are trying to instigate the public till they think they can achieve a Nepal-like situation. Nobody should politicise Zubeen’s death,” the CM added.

This time Garg supposedly drowned on September 19 as he swimming in sea, at a yacht party in Singapore.

An event organiser called Shyamkanu Mahanta, the manager of the singer called Sandipan Garg, an Assam police officer and a cousin of the singer called Sandipan Garg and two constables named Paresh Baishya and Nandeswar Bora were arrested as part of the investigation that followed the death. Assam Police CID had charged a murder case, criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide which was not a murder and due to negligence.

On Wednesday morning, they had been put under judicial custody by the court of chief judicial magistrate of the Kamrup Metropolitan district, Baloram Kshetri.

The 10-member SIT, which is investigating the case, Special DGP (CID) MP Gupta added that the 30-day police remand of two other accused, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, bandmates of Garg and a singer respectively, would expire on October 17 and they would be produced in court the same day.

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Assamese NRIs joining probe

Special DGP (CID) Gupta reported two more Assamese NRIs in Singapore have arrived in Singapore and are being recorded to have made statements. Another NRI will also come later in the day and his words will also be heard, he said.

As of Tuesday, seven of the 11 NRIs which were located in Singapore and of whom the CID had issue notices had reached Guwahati and were part of the investigation. That number has increased to 11, having recorded 3 more statements on Wednesday.

“The last one, Wajid Ahmed, who is a Singapore citizen (with origin in Assam), has not reached yet. He has expressed his desire to come and record his statement,” said Gupta.

Singapore is cooperating in probe

CM Sarma declared that the Singapore authorities had taken time to run investigations on the requests of the Assam government on the high profile case but indicated that the governments had pledged to support the case in every way possible

“I met the acting high commissioner of Singapore Alice Cheng. She has assured of all possible support in this matter,” Sarma said briefing reporters. India has sought permission to send two police officers to Singapore to carry out investigations, the CM said.

Separate investigation into the case is also being done by the Singaporean authorities according to the officer Gupta.

“Our condolences are with the people of Assam over the death of Zubeen-ji. Please allow us the time and space to conduct a professional investigation. We have already conducted the autopsy...” Cheng separately told reporters in New Delhi.

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