GUWAHATI: Assam Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of attempting to cover up the cause of death of music legend Zubeen Garg.
Gogoi claimed that Sarma is shielding Shyamkanu Mahanta, the organiser of the Fourth North East India Festival (NEIF) in Singapore and demanded a fair investigation into the singer’s death.
“If you look at the tweets of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP MLAs and BJP’s central IT cell, one thing is clear – CM Sarma does not want to give justice to Zubeen Garg. We got indications that his main purpose is how he can shield Shyamkanu Mahanta,” Gogoi alleged.
Gogoi lamented that the Special Investigation Team had not taken steps to go to Singapore and interrogate the witnesses.
Sarma shot back in no time, claiming that Garg’s fans were happy with how the investigation progressed so far.
“Zubeen’s fans are satisfied that we are arresting one after another. They had no idea the Assam government would work so expeditiously. Given the kind of respects we have shown to Zubeen, 10 per cent of his fans have also become my fans,” Sarma said.
Stating that he does not want to do politics over the singer’s death, he said only he would gain from any politics over the incident.
“I had no relations with Shyamkanu Mahanta. He shared the best relationship with Gaurav Gogoi. Check Mahanta’s tweets during (last) Lok Sabha elections to the Jorhat seat (that Gogoi represents),” Sarma told the media.
Garg died under mysterious circumstances while swimming at a sea in Singapore on September 19. He had travelled to the country to attend the NEIF.
Meanwhile, Rupkamal Kalita, an NRI and member of the Assam Association Singapore, deposed before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Assam on Tuesday. Kalita spent about six hours at the CID office before being taken away.
Kalita was on the same yacht as Zubeen Garg in Singapore when Garg died. Seven other Singapore-based Assamese witnesses have not yet responded to the CID’s summons.
On the other hand, two individuals – Abhijit Sharma and Palash Ranjan Baruah – filed a public interest litigation in the Gauhati High Court demanding a probe into Garg’s death. They suspected possible criminal conspiracy among others.
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 their arrest.
