Guwahati: Two more persons were arrested in connection with the death of singer and youth icon Zubeen Garg on Thursday. They are co-musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and co-singer Amritprabha Mahanta.
Both of them are known to have been close to Garg and were present in Singapore when Garg died on September 19.
The police say they have now found enough evidence to take them into custody. While Garg’s death was initially believed to be an accident, his family and fans demanded a probe that resulted in these arrests.
“We have found some evidence against them. So, to enquire further, their arrest was necessary,” an officer told reporters.
Four persons have now been taken into custody in this connection. On Wednesday, Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma and event organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta — the man behind the Northeast India Festival where Garg had gone to perform — were taken in and charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy, and causing death by negligence.
“The investigation is going on, and I cannot share much detail. We have added Section 103 of the BNS in the FIR now,” Special DGP (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta said whole confirming that both Sharma and Mahanta are in 14-day police custody.
Section 103 of the BNS deals with murder, and punishment can extend to death or life imprisonment, along with a fine.
There are political implications in the matter. With Assembly elections in Assam approaching, the Congress had accused the ruling Himanta Biswa Sarma government of protecting the accused.
Event organiser Mahanta is the younger brother of former Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, who is now the state’s Chief Information Commissioner. Another elder brother or his, Nani Gopal Mahanta, served as education advisor to the chief minister before taking over as Gauhati University’s vice chancellor.
More than 60 FIRs have been registered in the case across Assam and the CID has expanded its probe.
The 52-year-old singer, who also worked in Bollywood, died in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. He had travelled there for the festival organised by Mahanta’s company.
“Our team is ready to go to Singapore. Some formalities are pending. We have sent the request through the proper channel under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, and once we get approval, the team will leave,” DGP Gupta said.
Authorities in Singapore have completed their own autopsy and the report will be handed directly to Garg’s family, he said.
“They have already contacted the family and will share it soon,” he added.
A second autopsy conducted in Guwahati is still awaiting the viscera analysis from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Delhi.
Investigators are also questioning several others. Members of the Assam Association in Singapore, who were involved in organising the festival, have been issued notices through the Indian High Commission. Even Garg’s cousin, Deputy SP Sandipan Garg, who was with him during the incident, has been interrogated.
Beyond the death probe, police are also digging into Mahanta’s financial dealings. The CID says raids at his residence last week turned up “incriminating documents” — multiple PAN cards under the same firm, dozens of stamp seals of companies and government offices, and paperwork linked to alleged benami properties.
