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Assam information commissioner resigns over brother’s arrest in Zubeen Garg death case
Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta’s brother, Shyamkanu Mahanta, was one of the seven people arrested in connection with Garg’s death in Singapore on September 19
Former Assam police chief Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta resigned as the state chief information commissioner (CIC) on Thursday, citing the arrest of his brother Shyamkanu Mahanta over his alleged role in the death of musician, filmmaker, and actor Zubeen Garg in Singapore in September.
“I have decided to resign from the post of CIC due to a special circumstance,” Mahanta said in a Facebook post, referring to Shyamkanu Mahanta getting embroiled in the Garg murder probe. “Under these circumstances, my inner voice was telling me that if some query is submitted to the commission regarding my brother, I should quit so that there is no doubt and confusion in the minds of others.”
The former top police officer said he had informed chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s office about his plans to quit, and also asked his colleagues to inform him immediately in case of any query to the State Information Commission regarding his brother under the Right to Information Act.
He said a query before the commission sought details of the government’s financial grants to Shyamkanu Mahanta to organise events. “...Since the details sought would also involve Shyamkanu...I immediately submitted my resignation to the Governor [Lakshman Prasad Acharya],” Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta wrote.
He said an appropriate reply would have been given to the query, but he decided to resign to ensure that there is no shadow of doubt in the people’s minds.
Shyamkanu Mahanta was one of the seven people arrested in connection with Garg’s death in Singapore on September 19. He was the chief organiser of the North East India Festival, which Garg attended in Singapore. Garg died while swimming in the sea during a yacht party.
Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, a 1988 batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre Indian Police Service officer, served as the police chief from 2019 to 2023. He was appointed as the CIC in March 2023. His tenure was to end in March 2026.
