Zubeen Garg death: Assam SIT questions ex-manager Tarsem Mittal over fund misuse

Officers said that Mittal, whose name surfaced during interrogations of people linked to Garg’s management, had introduced Sharma, prime accused, to Garg’s management circle

Silchar: Late singer Zubeen Garg’s former manager, Tarsem Mittal, on Friday appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Assam Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the death of the singer on September 19 in Singapore.

Mittal, who had overseen Zubeen’s professional affairs for a considerable time, was summoned by the SIT over allegations of misappropriation of the late artist’s funds.

Mittal, who had overseen Zubeen’s professional affairs for a considerable time, was summoned by the SIT over allegations of misappropriation of the late artist’s funds.

Officers said that Mittal, whose name surfaced during interrogations of people linked to Garg’s management, had introduced Sharma, the prime accused in the case, to Garg’s management circle a few years ago. Sharma later replaced Mittal as the singer’s manager.

The SIT is examining his financial dealings and professional association with Sharma, who is currently in judicial custody.

SIT officials said the close professional ties between Mittal and Sharma could provide crucial insights into the alleged financial irregularities that took place prior to Garg’s death.

The charges by the SIT include murder, criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and death due to negligence. A separate probe is also underway to deal with the financial aspects related to the case. To date, the SIT has arrested seven persons, including Garg’s manager, his cousin (who is also a police officer), the organiser of the event in Singapore, two of Garg’s bandmates, and two state police security officers assigned to the singer.

The head of the SIT, Munna Prasad Gupta, said last month that they will submit the chargesheet on time.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the final date for submitting the chargesheet is December 17, but the SIT is expected to submit it by December 8 or 10.

A statement issued by the Singapore Police on October 17 said that no foul play was found. They also submitted a post-mortem report, which indicated that it was a case of drowning.

However, they mentioned that the matter is still under investigation, and another report might be released after 90 days.