GUWAHATI: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Assam invited a few eminent civil society members on Tuesday to update them about music icon Zubeen Garg’s death probe even as his wife Garima Saikia Garg demanded justice within 10 days.
Garg had died under mysterious circumstances while swimming at a sea in Singapore on September 19. He had travelled to the country to perform at the 4th North East India Festival (NEIF).
Asked about Garima’s demand for justice for Garg within 10 days made through social media, Special DGP (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta, who is also the chief of Special Investigation Team (SIT), said, “We will submit the report in the court within the timeframe as stipulated by law.”
He dismissed reports that the SIT would make the post-mortem report public on Tuesday.
Without going into details, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the investigators found a new direction in the case after receiving the viscera report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, New Delhi. The report was examined by a team of experts from the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
Meanwhile, three more Singapore-based Assamese expats, who were on the yacht during Garg’s last moments, deposed before the SIT on Monday.
Jiolangsat Narzary, Parikshit Sharma and Siddhartha Bora faced the investigators immediately after reaching the CID headquarters in the morning. One more Assamese expat, Rupkamal Kalita, had deposed last week and was allowed to leave following interrogation.
Gupta was confident the other expats would arrive soon. There were altogether 11 of them on the fateful day.
“The investigation is progressing well. We are working hard to take it to a logical end,” he stated.
Immediately after launching the probe, the Assam Police had sent a request under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to Singapore through the Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking details of crime scene, statements etc and permission to conduct a probe there. The permission is still awaited.
“Our request under MLAT has reached Singapore and it is with the country’s Attorney General. We sought permission to go there and conduct an investigation. We will go as and when we get permission. We are ready. We also sought inputs that are required. We hope we will get them soon,” Gupta said.
He said the SIT was actively pursuing matters regarding inspecting the place of occurrence through the Indian High Commission.
“They (Singapore) are also conducting a probe. They sought certain inputs from us and we shared those. Once their investigation is over, we will get to know their findings. As for the SIT, it is conducting the investigation as per law,” Gupta said.
Seven persons have been arrested so far. They are NEIF organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, DSP cousin Sandipan Garg, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, personal security officers Nandeswar Bora, Paresh Baishya and singer Amrit Prabha Mahanta. Goswami had earlier claimed that Garg was poisoned by Sharma and the NEIF organiser.
