GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in the Assembly on Tuesday, remarked on music icon Zubeen's death that a single person had murdered him, and others just cooperated.
Speaking during a discussion under an adjournment motion moved by the Opposition on Garg’s death, Sarma emphatically said it was a case of 'plain and simple murder.' The motion was allowed by Speaker Biswajit Daimary at the Chief Minister’s request.
The singer died mysteriously on September 19 while swimming in the sea in Singapore. He travelled to the country to perform at the 4th North East India Festival (NEIF).
“They (opposition parties) attacked me, asking how I could conclude Zubeen was murdered. But it is in the court’s record that this was a murder. I now repeat in the House that it was a murder. One person murdered him, and others cooperated. We have booked four to five persons on a murder charge,” Sarma said.
Without sharing details, he said a conspiracy involving Garg started even before the COVID pandemic. He indicated that the death was connected to financial matters.
“We have the evidence. That’s why I told the SIT (Special Investigation Team) to file the charge sheet on the murder case on December 8 first and then expand the inquiry, so that nobody can escape,” Sarma said.
Even as he was speaking, the members from Opposition parties shouted, demanding a CBI probe, but he rejected it outright, asking them to keep faith in the SIT probe.
Sarma said on the very first day, the government believed that Garg’s death was not a normal incident. And as such, a case under BNS sections 61 (criminal conspiracy), 105 (culpable homicide) and 106 (causing death by negligence) was registered.
“During preliminary investigation, the Assam Police were certain that it was not a case of culpable homicide but a plain and simple murder. So, within two days, the Assam government informed the court that it was a case of murder and requested it to add the BNS section 103. After a debate on it, the court added section 103,” Sarma said.
He said the SIT had conducted a full-proof inquiry stating that otherwise the Ministry of Home Affairs would not have granted the required sanction under Section 208 of BNSS.
This BNS section says that if a crime is committed outside India, the case can be taken up by the court only after the Central government gives prior sanction.
Seven people were arrested in connection with Garg’s death. They are identified as NEIF organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, DSP cousin Sandipan Garg, personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and singer Amritprabha Mahanta.