GUWAHATI: A day after the coroner’s court in Singapore was told that music icon Zubeen Garg was “severely intoxicated” and he drowned after refusing to wear a life jacket, his wife, Garima Saikia Garg, on Thursday urged the Centre and the Assam government to monitor the proceedings in Singapore at the highest level.
Garima further urged them to take all necessary diplomatic and legal steps to ensure that every relevant fact is placed before the court, and pursue expeditious and effective prosecution in India on the basis of the chargesheet filed by the Assam Special Investigation Team (SIT) last month.
The singer’s uncle, Manoj Kumar Borthakur, had submitted a detailed statement before the coroner’s court on Wednesday.
The family placed on record specific questions regarding the planning of the outing on that fateful day, Garg’s physical and medical condition at the time, safety measures on the yacht, circumstances in which he entered the sea, words spoken at that moment and response of the people around him on the yacht when he showed visible distress.
The family also wanted to know the timing and adequacy of medical assistance and the scope of the finding of “no foul play.”
“Our family has explored every lawful avenue available and there will be no hesitation or compromise. Every step has been taken with diligence, dignity, and faith in the law of the land,” Garima said.
“Zubeen was not merely a member of our family. He belonged to Assam. He belonged to its people, its music, and its emotional memory. Hence, it is important to understand the anguish of millions who want answers,” she further said, insisting that the entire truth—every action taken, every word spoken, every moment lost—be fully and transparently examined and the guilty are punished.
When asked, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma refused to comment on the Singapore coroner’s court proceedings.
Garg (52) died while swimming near Lazarus Island in Singapore on September 19 last year. He was scheduled to perform at the 4th North East India Festival (NEIF) in the country the next day.
The SIT arrested seven persons in connection with his death and slapped the charge of murder against four of them, including NEIF organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, in the chargesheet.
