Assam Director General of Police Harmeet Singh on Monday said that the CID’s Special Investigating Team (SIT), inquiring into the death of singer Zubeen Garg, will reach its ‘final conclusion’ and the findings will be submitted to the court.
The DGP said that a police team is already in Delhi, and two other officers will soon go to Singapore.
The Assam government constituted a 10-member SIT, led by Special DGP M P Gupta, to probe into the singer’s death in Singapore due to drowning in the sea on September 19.
‘This is a very important SIT, and the investigations have progressed far. The findings will be submitted in the court of law,’ the DGP told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.
The findings cannot be announced publicly and ‘it will be legally wrong from my side’, Singh said.
‘One aspect is, however, clear that as per the directives of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the law of the country, the inquiry will be transparent and a proper scientific investigation will be carried out,’ he said.
The DGP pointed out that the process of invoking the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Singapore has already started. The MLAT is an agreement between countries that facilitates the exchange of information and evidence for law enforcement purposes and India has it with Singapore.
Singh said that the related papers will go from the Ministry of Home Affairs to that country ‘so that we can seek the help of Singaporean authorities in the investigation’.
“Let us follow the legal process or else the case will become weak in the court. Let the SIT do its work and all should support the team,’ the DGP said.
He said that lookout notices have already been issued against the North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma in the singer’s death case. Garg had gone to the island country to perform at that fest.
“The accused will be brought back to the state and there should not be any doubt about it. It is a legal process. If they do not respond, we will take the next step of the law which will be much harsher,’ Singh said.
The CID will inform the people about investigations through the media from time to time, he said.
Urging the people to believe in him, the Assam police and the state government, the DGP said, “The inquiry will reach its final conclusion, it is my promise.’
The DGP also requested that if anyone has any evidence then they should inform the authorities, and none should indulge in rumour-mongering.
The SIT has already issued notices to 10 people, including Mahanta, Sharma and members of Singapore Assam Association, to appear before it and record their statements.
The CM had said earlier that a ‘lookout notice’ through the Interpol had been issued against Mahanta and Sharma, asking them to appear before the CID on October six.
More than 60 FIRs, including one by his family, have been filed in connection with Garg’s death.
We want to know what happened in Zubeen’s last moments: Wife
Zubeen Garg’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg, on Monday said that the singer’s family wants to know what had happened in his last moments that led to his death, and that a proper inquiry should be conducted.
“We want to know what happened to him, why it happened and how this negligence could be allowed to happen? We want answers,” Garima told reporters after the conduct of the 11th day rituals for the singer here.
She said all those who were there with him on the yacht and at the event for which he had gone to Singapore “must answer this”.
“Why did they not lift him from the water when they knew he was not in a condition to swim? They could have done so, as it was very easy to distract him,” she said.
His manager, Siddhartha Sharma, was aware that Zubeen should not go near water or fire as it could trigger his epileptic seizure, she said.
Regarding the Chief Organiser of North East India Festival’s (NEIF) Chief Organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garima said that she has ‘nothing to say about him but he certainly had a responsibility since Zubeen had gone to attend the festival organised by him’.
‘He called Zubeen his friend, but I just don’t understand how he could take an artiste like him and provide no medical assistance, no security or make special arrangements for his stay, food or take care of him. He did nothing for Zubeen,’ she alleged.
It is evident from the singer’s last moments in a video that he was ‘very exhausted and it was the responsibility of those who were there with him. Siddhartha, his musician Shekhar Goswami and members of the Assam Association should have brought him out of the water immediately’, she said.
“I want justice! I want a proper inquiry and answers to all our questions. I have full faith in the investigation process,” Garima added.
She said that the family had hoped that the people accompanying him would take care of him, but “now we realise that they did not do so”.
Asked whether Garg had taken the medicines prescribed, his wife said that she was not aware of that, but his medicines were sent along with him from here when he travelled to Singapore.
“He has been taking only one medicine since August 2024 after he had a seizure attack and I had ensured that his medicines were there wherever he went, whether in the house, car or the studio,” she said.
Asked why she did not accompany the singer to Singapore, Garima said that there were several domestic issues to be tackled as both his father and her parents were unwell and some of the people taking care of them were on leave.
‘I had to sort out these issues before the Durga Puja as his festival shows were to begin after his return from Singapore and I had plans to accompany him then,’ she added.
She said that they were yet to get the singer’s mobile phone.
Garima said that the singer had spoken to her on the previous day of the incident and had not mentioned plans for the yacht trip.
“He is usually very excited about these things and I am surprised that he did not talk about it. Perhaps he was not aware of it,” she said.
Regarding whether the manager had indulged in any financial irregularities, Garima said that she was not aware of any financial dealings of the singer as he had made it clear from the very beginning that ‘I should not get involved in his professional and business dealings as it may create problems with others’.
She said that she had always stayed away from these dealings but now ‘I am hearing these from others and so I have to find out and learn more about these issues now’.
Garima said that she is getting strength from Zubeen’s words as he always said that he was “a tiger and so I, too, should be a tigress in difficult times”.
She also thanked the people of the entire state for extending immense support and strength to the bereaved family.