GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that one among the eight Singapore-based Assamese who were on the yatch when singer Zubeen Garg died will depose before the CID on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference, Sarma said Rupkamal Kalita contacted the CID on Monday, but seven others were yet to respond to the summons.
“They are not willing to come. Somebody said the Singapore Police asked them not to come. Another said he would lose his job if he came to India,” Sarma said.
“We will keep putting pressure on them. I feel they will have to come, today or tomorrow. The sooner they come, we will be able to finish the investigation. I believe when one comes, the others will follow suit,” the chief minister added.
To a query, he said the Assam investigation team would not be required to go to Singapore because under MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty), the Singapore Police would share their findings and evidence with the Assam Police.
“Our request for legal assistance is already pending with Singapore. The police of one country cannot conduct a probe on the soil of another country as that amounts to infringement upon its sovereignty. The police of one country can aid the police of another country. That’s why, there is the concept of Interpol,” Sarma explained.
Sarma also slammed Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi for allegedly doing politics over the singer’s death.
“We never saw Akhil Gogoi as a fan of Zubeen Garg during his lifetime. A person who does politics over the dead is considered the most despicable kind of politician,” the chief minister said, adding, “He thought there are votes but it will boomerang on him because nobody likes politics over the dead.”
According to Sarma, there are two groups of people on social media talking about Garg. One group wants justice for him and peace for his soul while another group is trying to utilise the situation to defeat the BJP in next year’s Assembly elections.
Earlier, Gogoi had demanded the transfer of the ongoing probe by the CID-SIT to the CBI, claiming that Sarma maintained a close relationship with the extended family of Shyamkanu Mahanta.
Mahanta was the organiser of the 4th North East India Festival in Singapore that Garg went to attend. Mahanta and three others – Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and singer Amrit Prabha Mahanta – are now in the CID’s custody following arrest.
