GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that singer Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore in September while swimming in the sea, was murdered.
He said that the special investigation team (SIT) of Assam police’s criminal investigation department (CID), which is probing the late musician, filmmaker and actor’s death, will submit its charge sheet before court by December 8.
“I won’t term his death as an accident anymore. The SIT is supposed to submit the charge sheet of Garg’s murder case on December 18. I have given them a target of December 8. We are prepared in all aspects in that regard,” Sarma told journalists in Tezpur on the sidelines of an event.
He added that since the death happened outside the country a permission is needed from the Union home ministry to continue with processes involved in the case. Sarma said that the SIT would make a request to MHA in this regard within the next few days.
At present, two probes, one by the SIT and another in Singapore, are underway to investigate the circumstances leading to the 52-year-old’s death on September 19 in Singapore where he had gone to take part in a cultural event.
The charges by SIT include murder, criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and death due to negligence. A separate probe is also on to deal with the financial aspects related to the case.
{{/usCountry}}The charges by SIT include murder, criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder and death due to negligence. A separate probe is also on to deal with the financial aspects related to the case.
{{/usCountry}}Till date SIT has arrested seven persons, including Garg’s manager, his cousin (who is also a police officer), organiser of the event in Singapore, two of Garg’s bandmates and two state police security officers assigned to the singer.
Till date the SIT has interrogated and taken statements of around 100 people who were close to Garg or had some dealings with him. The seven arrested are at present in judicial custody.
A separate judicial inquiry by a one-man commission comprising Gauhati high court judge Soumitra Saikia has also been constituted by the state government to probe the circumstances leading to Garg’s death.
The commission began its hearings on Monday, but no one reached its temporary office to give their deposition or statements on the first day. The depositions will continue till November 21. The commission has been asked to submit its report within six months.