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Several injured, vehicles torched as police transfer accused in Zubeen Garg death case
Aaround hundred people gathered outside the jail to witness the transfer of the arrested accused. Police are yet to identify those responsible for the violence.
Violence broke out outside a district jail in Assam on Wednesday during the transfer of five people arrested in connection with singer Zubeen Garg’s death, as an agitated mob took part in stone pelting and torched vehicles, prompting police to resort to baton charge and tear-gas shelling to control the situation, officials said.
Several people, including security personnel and journalists, were injured in the violence outside the Baksa district jail, police said.
It was not immediately clear how many vehicles were set afire, but mediapersons at the site claimed three police vehicles and one belonging to a private TV channel were torched.
According to officers, around hundred people had gathered outside the jail to witness the transfer of the arrested accused. Police are yet to identify those responsible for the violence.
Authorities imposed prohibitory orders in Mushalpur town and the district jail, and indefinitely suspended internet and mobile data services across the district.
Police said that normalcy had been restored in areas near the jail by Wednesday evening. “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.
Five people accused in connection to Garg’s death, including his manager, were produced in the Guwahati court on Wednesday morning,which sent them to 14-day judicial custody. At around 2pm,they were being transferred to Baksa, nearly 100 kilometres away, when hundreds of people gathered outside the newly inaugurated district jail.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condemned the violence.
“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.
Garg had allegedly drowned on September 19 while swimming in sea during a yacht party in Singapore.
Shyamkanu Mahanta, an event organiser, Siddharth Sharma, the singer’s manager, Sandipan Garg, an Assam police officer and the singer’s cousin, and constables Paresh Baishya and Nandeswar Bora were arrested during the investigation that ensued after the death. The CID of Assam Police had registered a case of murder, criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and death due to negligence.
Earlier on Wednesday, the court of chief judicial magistrate of Kamrup Metropolitan district, Baloram Kshetri, sent them to judicial custody.
Special DGP (CID) MP Gupta, who is also head of the 10-member SIT probing the case, said the police remand of two more accused, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta, bandmate of Garg and a singer respectively, will expire on October 17 and they will produced in court on that date.
Assamese NRIs joining probe
Special DGP (CID) Gupta said two more Assamese NRIs from Singapore have arrived from Singapore and their statements are being recorded. A third NRI will also reach later in the day and his statements will also be taken, he said.
Till Tuesday, seven of the 11 NRIs based in Singapore who had been issued notices by the CID had arrived in Guwahati and joined the probe. With three more recording statements on Wednesday, that figure has gone up to 11.
“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 cooperating in probe’
CM Sarma said Singapore authorities had “sought some time” to process the Assam government’s requests in the high-profile investigation but said that they have assured all “possible support” in the matter.
“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.
The Singaporean authorities are also conducting a separate probe related to the case, according to 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.
