GUWAHATI: Assam's Special Investigation Team probing music legend Zubeen Garg’s death under mysterious circumstances while swimming at a sea in Singapore on September 19, has received the viscera report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Delhi.
Addressing the media on Saturday, SIT chief and Special Director General of Police (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta said the viscera report was subsequently sent to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
“A committee constituted by the GMCH earlier will examine the viscera report and submit the final post-mortem report to us. We will then submit it to the court. We will also give a copy to Garg’s family,” he said.
The viscera samples were sent to the CFSL after the conduct of the second autopsy at the GMCH. The first autopsy was conducted in Singapore.
Garg’s bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami had earlier claimed that the singer was poisoned by his manager Siddharth Sharma and the 4th North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta.
However, Gupta said, “We have to wait until we receive the final post-mortem report.”
Goswami, Sharma, Mahanta and four others – Garg’s DSP cousin Sandipan Garg, personal security officers Nandeswar Bora, Paresh Baishya and singer Amrit Prabha Mahanta are in the SIT’s custody following arrest.
The SIT is facing criticism for not visiting Singapore as part of the investigation. However, Gupta retorted that the police of one country cannot visit another country to conduct a probe on their own. He mentioned that the SIT should work in accordance with the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) that India and Singapore signed.
“After we launched the investigation, we had immediately sent a request under MLAT to Singapore through the Ministry of Home Affairs for materials needed in the investigation, such as CCTV footage, statements of people etc,” Gupta said.
“The office of the Attorney General, the nodal agency in Singapore, received our request. It is examining it and will let us know. We cannot conduct an investigation without their approval. We cannot do it stealthily as well as it is illegal and we will be prosecuted for it. We can conduct an investigation in Singapore only through Singapore Police,” he explained.
The SIT has been constantly in touch with the Indian High Commission, he stated.
The SIT sent notices to 11 Singapore-based Assamese who were on the yacht during the singer’s last moments and only one of them, Rupkamal Kalit, deposed before it. His statement was recorded.
Asked about the remaining 10 NRIs, Gupta said, “We are taking steps to ensure that they come. We hope they will join the investigation soon.”
